Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Trudy Harrison: In July 2021 we published the Transport Decarbonisation Plan – the first such Plan in the world – which sets the transport sector on the path to net zero by 2050. Since then we have already started delivering on its commitments, including confirming that the UK will introduce a zero emission vehicle mandate from 2024, end the sale of new, non-zero emission HGVs less than or equal to 26 tonnes by 2035 and that from 2040 all new HGVs must be fully zero emission at the tailpipe and put £180m investment into sustainable aviation fuel demonstration plants across the UK to deliver our ambition for 10% sustainable aviation fuels by 2030.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Prices

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofgem on support for households most affected by the rise in the cost of energy prices.

Greg Hands: The Government is in regular contact with Ofgem to monitor the impact of energy prices on households. We are focussed on ensuring customers are protected.

Energy: Prices

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what additional steps his Department has taken to help support households most affected by the rise in the cost of energy prices.

Greg Hands: The Government is committed to protecting customers, especially the most vulnerable. The Energy Price Cap will continue to protect consumers, ensuring they pay a fair price for their energy this winter. Low income and fuel poor households will continue to be supported with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount, which provides eligible households with a £140 discount. Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will also ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to heat their homes over the colder months. Additionally, the Government announced an extra £500 million for local authorities through the new Household Support Fund to help millions with their household bills.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Bottles

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2021 to Question 41970 on Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Bottles, what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Liquid Gas UK on the (a) effectiveness of their Customer Charter in identifying vulnerable customers and (b) stock of liquified petroleum gas bottles within the market as of 14 December 2021.

Greg Hands: The Department continues to be in frequent contact with Liquid Gas UK, the trade association for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) industry in the UK.Liquid Gas UK remain confident in their members’ ability to operate to the principles set out in their Customer Charter.

Environment Protection: Investment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what initiatives his Department is promoting to encourage investment in green (a) industries, (b) growth and (c) jobs.

Greg Hands: Both public and private investment will be crucial to delivering Net Zero. The policies and spending set out in the Net Zero Strategy mean that since the Ten Point Plan, the Government has mobilised £26 billion of government capital investment for the green industrial revolution. Along with regulations, this will support up to 440,000 jobs by 2030, and leverage up to £90 billion of private investment by 2030. For example, the UK Infrastructure Bank will provide targeted support to UK infrastructure projects including in support of net zero, with £12 billion of equity and debt capital and an ability to deploy £10 billion of government guarantees. The Offshore Wind sector provides a good example of how the government is leveraging private investment, delivering growth and jobs. Announced as part of the Ten Point Plan, the UK’s offshore wind manufacturing industry has already seen almost £1.5 billion of investment unlocked by the £160 million Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Support initiative, which aims to further develop the UK’s offshore wind capabilities. This could support up to 3,600 jobs supported across the Humber region.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase the visibility of the Warm Home Discount Scheme to households to encourage uptake.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with energy providers on improving public awareness of the Warm Home Discount scheme.

Greg Hands: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Rt. Hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton on 14th December 2021 to Question 87565.

Carbon Emissions: Costs

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the cost of achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Greg Hands: The Government’s landmark Net Zero Strategy, published on October 19, will drive forward our ambition to reach net zero and level up the UK by supporting up to 190,000 jobs in the middle of the 2020s and up to 440,000 jobs in 2030. Affordability is a key pillar of the Government's Net Zero Strategy, and we are working with businesses to deliver deep cost reductions in low-carbon technologies.  For example, we are delivering a Government programme of innovation to enable decarbonisation backed by funding of at least £1.5bn during next spending review period, which will help reduce energy costs for consumers.

Diesel and Petrol: Prices

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps is he talking to tackle the rising cost of petrol and diesel in the UK.

Greg Hands: The Government believes it is vital that consumers get a fair deal on fuel prices and that a competitive market is the best way to achieve this. BEIS analysis is that changes in retail prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel are primarily driven by the changes in the global market prices for crude oil and in exchange rates. Recognising that fuel is a major cost for households and businesses, we have kept fuel duty frozen. This is the twelfth consecutive freeze, saving the average UK car driver a cumulative £1,900, compared to the plans the previous Government set out in 2010.

Aviation: Fuels

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount of aviation turbine fuel, Avtur, consumed in the UK in 2019-20.

Greg Hands: Consumption of aviation turbine fuel in 2019 and 2020 is published in the Digest of UK Energy Statistics table 3.2-3.3.

Small Businesses: Coronavirus

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effects that the covid-19 Plan B measures will have on small businesses; and what steps his Department is taking to limit the impacts those restrictions may have on businesses.

Paul Scully: The Government’s Plan B has been designed to help control the spread of the virus whilst avoiding unduly damaging economic and social restrictions. Our £400bn COVID support package will continue to help businesses into spring next year. This includes the Recovery Loan scheme, Additional Restrictions Grants and protection from eviction. We will continue to respond proportionately to the changing path of the virus, as we have done since the start of the pandemic.

Help to Grow Scheme

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many businesses in the hospitality sector have signed up to the Help to grow scheme.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a list of the number of businesses in the hospitality sector that have signed up to the help to grow scheme in each region of the UK.

Paul Scully: The Help to Grow Scheme is open to SMEs that meet the eligibility criteria, from all sectors from across the UK.Businesses that express an interest in the Help to Grow: Digital programme are not required to identify the sector they are in.On the Help to Grow: Management programme side, to date, 143 SMEs within the hospitality sector have registered for the programme.BEIS will continue to analyse the characteristics of businesses as part of the Help to Grow scheme to support monitoring and evaluation.

Cars: Secondhand Goods

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to prevent unreasonable cost mark-ups on second hand cars.

Paul Scully: In a competitive market such as for new and used cars, it is for businesses to decide the market worth of their products and to price accordingly. It is Government policy not to intervene when markets function normally, and people considering the purchase of a used vehicle should visit various vehicle selling sites, including auction sites, to get the best price possible.

Attorney General

Crown Prosecution Service: Staff

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutors were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service as of (a) 1 January 2017, (b) 1 January 2018, (c) 1 January 2019, (d) 1 January 2020, (e) 1 January 2021 and (f) 1 December 2021.

Alex Chalk: The number of prosecutors employed by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) are as follows: Year***CPS Prosecutor Headcount31/12/2016262331/12/2017263431/12/2018269431/12/2019280031/12/2020302530/11/30213118 *The data has been extracted from the CPS Oracle HR database and is accurate at point of enquiry on 14th December 2021. Consequent changes to data input may mean that this data will change at some point in the future.**The system reports data as at the last day of the month rather than the first therefore the table is presented to the nearest reportable date to the questions asked.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Israel

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what collaboration is taking place between the UK and Israel in the digital health sector; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: Digital health collaboration between the United Kingdom and Israel includes the UK-Israel Tech Corridor, where the Leeds Corridor pairs National Health Service organisations with Israeli health technology companies to advance their product or clinical work. The UK also plans to host a UK-Israel Innovation Summit next year, where digital health will feature.

Special Educational Needs: Integrated Care Systems

Chris Loder: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits to SEND children from Integrated Care Systems under the proposed legislative framework of the Health and Care Bill.

Gillian Keegan: The Health and Care Bill proposes to put integrated care systems on a statutory footing. This represents a significant opportunity to improve the local planning and provision of services to better meet the needs of babies, children, young people and families, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Statutory functions regarding children and young people with SEND would transfer from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to integrated care boards (ICBs) from April 2022. This would include a responsibility for the ICB to agree joint commissioning arrangements for the provision of education, health and social care required by children and young people with SEND. We are working with the Department for Education and NHS England and NHS Improvement on bespoke guidance for ICBs to clearly set out the statutory functions that will transfer from CCGs to ICBs on SEND.

Prosthetics

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in the UK have prosthetic limbs by (a) gender and (b) age group.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Social Services: Safety and Standards

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) safety of (i) adult social care and (ii) children services in local authorities (A) nationally and (B) in York.

Gillian Keegan: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations and to develop and build local market capacity. The Care Act 2014 states that local authorities are required to shape their local markets and ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable and person-centred care with support options available to them and that they can access the services that best meet their needs.The statutory guidance supporting the implementation of the Care Act states that we expect local authorities to ensure that the services they commission are safe, effective and of high quality. We also expect those providing the service, local authorities and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to take swift action where anyone alleges poor care, neglect or abuse. As the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, the CQC registers, monitors, inspects and regulates the provision of adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety.At 13 December 2021, the CQC rated 84% of adult social care providers in England as outstanding or good; and 83% of adult social care providers in York as outstanding or good. The Department and the CQC have not made an assessment of children services nationally or in York because the regulation of children’s social care is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

Travel: Coronavirus

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of PCR tests for people entering the UK from overseas.

Maggie Throup: No estimate has been made. However, the average price of a day two test is now under £45, with many available for £20.

Travel: Quarantine

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 26 July 2021 to Question 29827, whether the steps to centrally validate the data on the passengers entering from covid-19 red list countries who have been successful in applying for an exemption have been completed; and how many exemption applications have been successful.

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have been granted exemptions from quarantining in a hotel after returning from a covid-19 red list country; and for what reasons those exemptions were granted.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications for exemption from the hotel quarantine system from travellers from red-list countries have been made; and how many of those applications have been granted.

Maggie Throup: The information on exemptions from ‘red list’ countries is not available in a consolidated format as individual departments are responsible for managing exemptions relevant to their responsibilities. Exemptions from managed quarantine are agreed on a case by case basis and are recorded by the relevant Government department.Exemptions include those that are work related such as jobs that are essential for the effective running of the country, for medical and compassionate reasons or for safeguarding unaccompanied minors. Those seeking an exemption on medical or compassionate grounds would be granted an exemption before travel while in some other categories, prior approval for an exemption is not required. In these cases, relevant documentation would be presented to confirm exemption from managed quarantine. Due to the range of conditions and evidence required to satisfy each exemption, this data is not collected in a central record.

Abortion

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have suffered (a) ruptured ectopic pregnancies, (b) haemorrhage, (c) uterine perforation, (d) sepsis and (e) cervical tear complications following the use of medical abortion pills at home since March 2020.

Maggie Throup: The information is not held in the format requested as abortion notification forms (HSA4) submitted by clinics and hospitals to the Chief Medical Officer at the Department do not record the number of individual women. From 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020 eight complications involving haemorrhage after early medical abortion for residents of England and Wales were notified to the Department, where one or both medications were taken at home. No complications related to perforation, sepsis or cervical tear were notified. We do not hold information on ruptured ectopic pregnancies. Data for 2021 will be published in June 2022.The Department is undertaking a project to review the system of recording abortion complications data and we anticipate this work will be completed shortly. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion including home use of early medical abortion pills.To improve the accuracy of the data collected, the Department is working closely with a range of statutory bodies, professional organisations and abortion providers to identify additional sources of information that could be used to complement complications data collected via HSA4 abortion notification forms and improve the flow of data on abortion complications between different organisations, such as independent and National Health Service abortion providers and wider NHS health and care services.

NHS and Social Services: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that NHS and care workers are prioritised for covid-19 testing in areas where there are shortages of covid-19 testing kits.

Maggie Throup: The UK Health Security Agency provide kits through multiple pathways, including a specific ordering portal which enables adult social care settings to order in bulk, as well as local pharmacies. National Health Service staff can order lateral flow tests online and if needed, provided directly from the NHS, which holds stocks of lateral flow tests approved for NHS staff use.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequacy of supply of (a) lateral flow and (b) PCR tests over the 2021-22 Christmas and New Year period.

Maggie Throup: There is no shortage of lateral flow device (LFD) or polymerase chain reaction tests and we continue to procure enough stock to meet demand through national and local delivery channels. We are ensuring that LFD tests can be both delivered to homes across the country, collected from local pharmacies and some community sites.

Travel: Quarantine

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the removal of all countries from the covid-19 red list announced on 14 December 2021, if he will make it his policy to release people who are in hotel quarantine having returned to the UK from one of those countries.

Maggie Throup: Arrangements were made for guests in managed quarantine to leave at the earliest opportunity in line with appropriate COVID-19 safe protocols from 15 December.Guests who tested positive, those who are unvaccinated, and those who were notified they had been a contact of someone who had tested positive were required to remain in quarantine. This aligns with domestic self isolation requirements.

Coronavirus: Screening

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether clinically extremely vulnerable people can access covid-19 antibody testing through the NHS.

Maggie Throup: Clinicians in the National Health Service can arrange antibody testing based on their assessment of clinical need. Those with a cancer diagnosis may also be able to access free antibody tests through the National Cancer COVID Survey, which aims to assess levels of protection conferred by antibodies following vaccination or infection in cancer patients.

Immensa Health Clinic: South West

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Immensa Wolverhampton laboratory false testing results on the rates of covid-19 the South West.

Maggie Throup: Investigations are ongoing.

Alcoholic Drinks: Health Education

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the Government has spent on alcohol awareness campaigns in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021 as of 9 December.

Maggie Throup: This information is not held in the format requested. While messages around responsible alcohol consumption were communicated throughout this period, no individual awareness campaigns were undertaken.The Better Health and One You adult health campaigns have provided information and advice to help adults consume less alcohol in each of these years. Better Health continues to offer tips and online tools to help people drink less including the Drinks Tracker app, ‘How Are You’ health quiz, Better Health website and email programme. We also provide the Drinkline service and a webchat service.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of eligible patients unable to book a covid-19 booster vaccine.

Maggie Throup: No estimate has been made.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, further to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister on 8 December 2021, Official Report, col 379, what discussions he has had with (a) MRHA and (b) JCVI on the 15 minute wait after receiving covid-19 vaccinations.

Maggie Throup: Following advice from the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Commission on Human Medicines, we have agreed to temporarily suspend the 15 minute wait following mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations. The suspension is designed to facilitate the COVID-19 vaccination programme, including booster doses, in response to the Omicron variant. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is aware of this new advice and the nature of the temporary suspension that has been agreed. The temporary suspension is in operation in England from 16 December 2021, following necessary amendments to system guidance and protocols.

Abortion: Telemedicine

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of a February 2021 British Medical Journal report on sexual and reproductive health that 89 per cent of women who have used the telemedicine service for early medical abortion have reported that they would opt to have treatment at home again if necessary and a February 2021 report published by the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology that complications due to abortion have decreased since that service was introduced, if he will make it his policy to make that service permanent.

Maggie Throup: We are considering all evidence submitted to the Government’s public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion. We will publish our response in due course.

Health Visitors: Pilot Schemes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the innovative health visiting workforce pilots announced in the Spending Review 2021 will test the relative value of digital and face to face offerings in engaging disadvantaged families and identifying safeguarding incidents and developmental delay.

Maggie Throup: We will work closely with selected local authorities to design a robust approach to implementing and evaluating workforce models for health visiting teams to enable them to better support the needs of all families. This includes tailoring approaches to engage with the most disadvantaged families. We will invest in testing and evaluating different workforce models to understand the impact on the wellbeing of families and children as well as the capacity of the workforce to identify best practice.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Chapter 14a of the Green Book, whether it is his policy that children and adults who are not high risk but who live with high risk individuals and who recently tested positive for covid-19 must defer their vaccines for four weeks or three months.

Maggie Throup: The guidance regarding the delay of vaccination following a confirmed positive COVID-19 case for household contacts of individuals with severe immunosuppression is consistent with the general population.The vaccination of adults should be deferred until clinical recovery to and around four weeks after onset of symptoms or four weeks from the first confirmed positive polymerase chain reaction specimen in those who are asymptomatic. In younger people, protection from natural infection is likely to be high for a period of months and vaccination in those recently infected may increase the chance of side effects. Therefore, vaccination should ideally be deferred until twelve weeks from onset or sample date in children and young people under 18 years old who are not in high risk groups. This interval may be reduced to eight weeks in healthy under 18 year olds during periods of high incidence or where there is concern about vaccine effectiveness.The delay is observed to avoid the incorrect attribution of any change in the person’s underlying condition to the vaccine, to avoid health risks in certain age groups, and as COVID-19 infection produces a natural immunity to reinfection in the following time period.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to undertake an assessment of the impact of covid-19 lockdowns on (a) the rate of divorce, (b) relationship breakdowns and (c) people's health and wellbeing in the long term.

Maggie Throup: The Government is under a statutory duty to consider the impacts of policies and decisions on people’s protected characteristics, which includes marriages and civil partnerships. We also apply the Family Test to new policies, which considers of the impact on families before, during and after couple separation.The Government recognised that restrictions on gathering indoors and on non-essential travel would limit some opportunities for families to meet their support network, which could have a negative impact on relationships. Therefore, we introduced measures to mitigate these risks, such as the creation of support bubbles and childcare support bubbles. We also prioritised keeping schools open and created a specific power to do so in the Coronavirus Act 2020.

Coronavirus: Screening

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase S gene regional testing capacity to identify cases of the omicron variant of covid-19.

Maggie Throup: We have no current plans to do so. Five out of 10 Lighthouse Laboratories currently have S-gene target failure (SGTF) capacity, representing a coverage of approximately 50 to 60% of the network. However, nine out of 10 laboratories have implemented a genotype reflex assay which offers a much greater specificity of detection for Omicron than SGTF. We are working to rapidly expand coverage of the genotyping assay to up to 100% of our Lighthouse Laboratory network.

Long Covid: Health Services

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for patients wishing to be seen in at designated Long Covid clinics as of 13 December 2021.

Maria Caulfield: The information is not available in the format requested. Since September 2021, information on activity and demographics of patients who have been referred to a post-COVID-19 assessment service in England have been published as part of the official statistics publication, which can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-post-covid-assessment-service/The most recent publication of 9 December covered the period from 27 September to 24 October 2021. The attached table shows the waiting times of patients who had an initial assessment at a post-COVID-19 assessment service in this period. Data on waiting times was first added to this publication in October 2021, for the period from 2 August. As this is a relatively new data collection and this is experimental data, some variation may be due to incomplete data submissions.Waiting times table 9 December (docx, 19.3KB)

Postural Tachycardia Syndrome: Health Education

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase awareness of postural tachycardia syndrome and (b) ensure that the condition is not (i) damagingly missed or (ii) misdiagnosed as anxiety or chronic fatigue syndrome.

Maria Caulfield: General practitioners (GPs) have been provided with guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on postural tachycardia syndrome. GPs are asked to investigate symptoms to ensure that it is not misdiagnosed. Following referral, patients are treated within National Health Service cardiology and neurology services. Where more specialist advice is required, a referral will be made to an appropriate clinician.

Mechanical Thrombectomy

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of interventional neuroradiologists required to meet NHS Long Term Plan commitments of providing a 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy service in all parts of the country; and how many practising interventional neuroradiologists there were as at 8 December 2021.

Maria Caulfield: It is estimated that approximately 150 whole time equivalent interventional neuroradiologists are required to deliver resilient and sustainable thrombectomy services and ensure access to 24 hours a day, seven days a week mechanical thrombectomy. The latest number of practising interventional neuroradiologists is not currently available. However, this information is being collated for regional thrombectomy quality reviews which will be published in spring 2022.

Mechanical Thrombectomy: Finance

Sir Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government has provided to thrombectomy since the adoption of the NHS Long Term Plan.

Maria Caulfield: The total investment in thrombectomy since 2017/18 will be £57.8 million by the end of 2021/22.

Dentistry: Assessments

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2021 to Question 84528 on Dentistry: Assessments,  for what reason his Department has no plans to fund a catch-up programme of Overseas Registration Exams for dentists to compensate for disruption to those exams during the outbreak of covid-19; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits and estimated costs of running a catch-up programme.

Maria Caulfield: The capacity of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) is constrained by rules within the General Dental Council’s (GDC) legislative framework that additional funding would not be able to address. The Department is currently working with the GDC on proposals which will amend this legislation and allow the GDC greater flexibility to expand on the registration options open to international applicants, including the capacity of the ORE. We plan to consult on these changes in early 2022.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will update the published daily covid-19 case, hospitalisation and death figures issued to the media, to separate out those figures by those who are vaccinated and unvaccinated in both absolute and proportionate terms.

Maggie Throup: There are no plans to do so, as this information is available on a weekly basis in the COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment he has made of the impact of reducing the number of mass covid-19 vaccination centres on the uptake of the covid-19 vaccines among (a) young people and (b) ethnic minority communities.

Maggie Throup: No comparative assessment has been made. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement keep the COVID-19 vaccine programme under review to ensure there is sufficient capacity to support the offer.

Influenza: Vaccination

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with (a) invasive pneumococcal disease and (b) other underlying health conditions receive their flu vaccination in addition to their covid-19 booster vaccination.

Maggie Throup: National guidance on influenza vaccination recommends that if an individual is acutely unwell, immunisation may be postponed until they have fully recovered. Patients unwell with invasive pneumococcal disease would typically have any influenza vaccine that they were due to receive deferred until recovery. Those considered to be in risk groups for invasive pneumococcal disease may also be eligible for a flu vaccine.To encourage uptake, NHS England and NHS Improvement have recommissioned the national call and recall service for the 2021/22 season. This service will complement local mechanisms to target groups of eligible individuals, informing them of their eligibility and inviting them to make an appointment for their flu vaccination.The ‘Boost Your Immunity This Winter’ campaign launched in October included targeted communications for those with underlying health conditions to raise awareness of the risks of flu and COVID-19 and their eligibility for the vaccinations as the best protection from serious illness.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) women, (b) people from ethnic minority groups and (c) children took part in the development of the covid-19 vaccines.

Maggie Throup: The information is not available in the format requested. The National Institute for Health Research does not routinely collect data on the sex, age and ethnicity of participants in clinical research studies. However, data on ethnicity was collected at a national level for a subset of COVID-19 vaccine studies between July 2020 and May 2021. During this time, 2,416 people from ethnic minority groups took part in studies for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. There were also three paediatric and adolescent studies into COVID-19 vaccines which recruited 425 participants.Work is underway to gather more data on the characteristics of research participants, including their ethnicity, as part of the National Institute for Health Research’s strategy ‘Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter’.

Obesity: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Turning the Tide: A 10-year Healthy Weight Strategy published by the Obesity Health Alliance in September 2021; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: We welcome the Obesity Health Alliance’s report which makes a valuable contribution to the debate, endorsing policies we are taking forward on food and drink labelling, promotions and advertising. The forthcoming Government food strategy, to be published in early 2022, will set out the next steps in our approach.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when vaccines produced and administered in Scotland will be added to the NHS covid pass.

Maggie Throup: NHS Digital has established live bi-directional data flows between England and Scotland which can demonstrate both vaccine doses on the general practitioner (GP) record and NHS COVID Pass.Individuals who have had one or both of their primary course vaccines administered in Scotland can access the NHS COVID Pass, provided they are registered with a GP in England or otherwise have a National Health Service number. Individuals who are registered with a GP in Scotland can access the Scottish certification service, which will demonstrate their vaccination status anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review as a matter of priority the guidance for exemptions from self-isolation to include people who are fully vaccinated and hold an EU Digital Covid Certificate.

Maggie Throup: On 9 December, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 were amended to extend exemptions to contacts with approved overseas vaccinations. The exemptions will apply to people fully vaccinated in European Union countries with an EU Digital COVID Certificate or can provide another recognised proof of vaccination.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2020 to 2021 published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities on 25 November 2021.

Maggie Throup: We continually assess the latest data, including the ‘Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2020 to 2021’. The data shows the number of adults entering treatment in 2020/21 was broadly similar to the previous year.On 6 December, the Government published its new ten-year drug strategy which sets out how we will tackle drug crime and improve treatment. Over the next three years, we will invest £780 million in treatment and recovery. This new funding will allow local authorities to provide high quality treatment for people addicted to harmful substances and reduce deaths from substance abuse, as well as providing housing and employment support.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of eligible adults have received their covid-19 booster vaccination in (a) England, (b) West Sussex and (c) Bognor Regis as of 9 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: Information on the number of booster doses administered in England as of 9 December 2021 is not available in the format requested. However, the UK Health Security Agency’s weekly COVID-19 and flu surveillance report for the week ending 5 December 2021 showed that vaccine uptake rate among adults aged 18 years old and over with at least three doses in England was 34.4% or 17,207,793.Information on the number and proportion of adults in West Sussex who have received at least three doses as of 9 December 2021 is not currently available. While vaccination data by Lower Tier Local Authority is published on the UK COVID-19 Dashboard, this data is updated daily as booster doses are formally recorded over time. Daily vaccination data for West Sussex is available at the following link:https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=utla&areaName=West%20SussexInformation on the number and proportion of adults in Bognor who have received a third dose is not held in the specific format requested.

Travel: Coronavirus

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what basis the Government makes the decision to add a country to the list of countries and territories with approved proof of covid-19 vaccination for travel to England; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: Vaccine certification between countries and territories varies considerably, therefore we ensure that certificates or apps meet our published minimum requirements on content and that carriers are clear about the certification we can accept.The vaccine certificate, either digital or paper, must be issued by a national or state-level public health authority and be in English, French or Spanish. As a minimum, it must include the holders’ forename and surname(s), date of birth, vaccine brand and manufacturer, date of vaccination for every dose and country or territory of vaccination and/or certificate issue.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many doses of covid-19 vaccines have been destroyed in the UK in each of the last 12 months as a result of (a) passing their expiration date or (b) any other reasons.

Maggie Throup: The information is not available in the format requested.

Varices: Children

Brendan Clarke-Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition to introduce national standards for the treatment of varices in children.

Maggie Throup: The British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has published national guidance for the management of varices in children and are due to publish an updated version shortly.The Royal Colleges work with NHS England advising on standards of treatment and are important stakeholders in the introduction of new or revised standards.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to help ensure that pregnant women of all ages have access to covid-19 booster vaccinations.

Maggie Throup: On 29 November, the Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to extend the COVID-19 booster programme to all people aged 18 to 39 years old, including pregnant women. The interval between second and booster dose has been reduced from six to three months. Eligible pregnant women will be invited for their booster vaccination with others in their age group.NHS England and NHS Improvement have urged all healthcare professionals to raise awareness of the vaccine’s benefits among pregnant women, reassure any concerns and encourage them to book their booster dose, through contacts in maternity and primary care services. A toolkit has been launched to support healthcare professionals with conversations with pregnant women, including key messages, facts and frequently asked questions.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason it is Government policy for people to work from home where possible, but not be required to wear a face covering in a pub or other hospitality venue.

Maggie Throup: The Government is committed to a balanced and proportionate response to tackling COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. ‘Plan B’ prioritises measures which can help control transmission of the virus, while seeking to minimise economic and social impacts.The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies has advised that the Plan B measures are likely to have a beneficial impact on reducing community transmission and that working from home in particular could have the largest impact on transmission.Face coverings are not required in hospitality venues as it is impractical to remove face coverings whilst eating or drinking. Face coverings are not required in nightclubs and other night-time dance venues because it is not recommended to wear them while exercising or during strenuous physical activity.

Diseases: Young People

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of the most life-threatening diseases in young people, particularly brain tumours, meningitis and sepsis.

Maggie Throup: We welcome HeadSmart’s campaign to raise awareness of symptoms that could indicate brain cancer in children and young people, which is promoted with NHS England and health professionals.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), in partnership with the Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement, is working to improve vaccination coverage for children of all ages in England. This includes access to immunisation programmes, such as meningitis; promoting communications with the public; using data to identify underserved individuals and populations; and training for healthcare professionals.We continue to raise awareness of sepsis amongst parents, including through the UKHSA’s partnership with Mumsnet and their Start4Life campaign which delivers trusted advice and practical guidance to parents on identifying sepsis and how to access appropriate and timely medical care.

Coronavirus: Ivermectin

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set a deadline for the completion of the work on assessing Ivermectin treatment for covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: Ivermectin was entered into the large-scale PRINCIPLE clinical trial in the United Kingdom in June 2021. To date, there is no conclusive evidence for efficacy of Ivermectin in treating and preventing COVID-19, as there are no supportive randomised control trials. Currently, there is no firm deadline set for the publication of trial results. However, the Therapeutics Taskforce continues to monitor any emerging evidence for ivermectin’s use as a treatment for COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is being phased out; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of all UK vaccines issued that are AstraZeneca.

Maggie Throup: The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine continues to be deployed as part of the vaccine programme. As of 1 December 2021, an estimated 24.9 million first doses and an estimated 24.1 million second doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been administered.

Coronavirus: Quarantine

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people who have received a covid-19 vaccination outside of the UK are required to self-isolate if they’ve been in contact with someone with covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Since 9 December, those recognised as fully vaccinated under the United Kingdom’s travel policy have also been treated as fully vaccinated for the purposes of self-isolation. They are exempt from self-isolation if they have been in close contact with a positive COVID-19 case. However, anyone aged five years old and over living in the same household as someone with COVID-19 and who is not legally required to self-isolate is now strongly advised to take a lateral flow test (LFD) test every day for seven days. If a LFD test is positive, they should self-isolate in order to protect other people. The public health advice for people with symptoms of or a positive test result for COVID-19 remains the same.

Music: Coronavirus

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the (a) Chief Medical Officer and (b) Chief Scientist have made of the risk of singing without a facemask in indoor settings; and whether he has received advice from those persons on singing inside without a facemask.

Maggie Throup: Neither the Chief Medical Officer nor the Chief Scientific Advisor have made this specific assessment and have not provided any such advice.

Food: Labelling

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to require that all sugars, including free sugars, are clearly labelled on food designed for consumption by children under the age of 5.

Maggie Throup: Following the commitment in the ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’ Green Paper, we plan to launch a consultation on measures to improve infant food marketing and labelling. This consultation will consider the marketing and labelling of all food and drink products for infants and young children up to 36 months. The objective is to ensure that commercial food and drinks products for infants are age-appropriate; aligned with dietary guidelines; and support healthy development. This includes ensuring parents and carers are equipped with clear, transparent and accurate product information that supports them to make healthier choices for their children. The consultation will be published shortly.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support and treatment is being developed to protect people from covid-19 who have previously had a severe allergic reaction to vaccinations.

Maggie Throup: The Antivirals Taskforce has secured 480,000 patient courses of Molnupiravir and 250,000 courses of PF-07321332 from Pfizer. These novel treatments may be used to treat individuals who do not respond to the vaccine, such as immunocompromised groups, as well as those who are unable to take the vaccine due to allergies. Molnupiravir is now available to clinically eligible patients through a new national study. Participants will be randomly selected and will still be able to access any other National Health Service care. In addition, patients in the highest-risk group will be able to access antiviral treatments directly, without the need to enrol in the study.The UK Health Security Agency’s Green Book provides advice for clinicians to assess individuals with a history of allergies who may suffer an allergic reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. It also sets out how second dose vaccinations may be considered for those who experienced a reaction to the first dose. The advice has been developed with the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI).Anyone with a history of allergic reaction to an ingredient in a COVID-19 vaccine should not receive that vaccine, except with expert advice and should be offered an alternative if appropriate. Those with any other allergies, including those with prior anaphylaxis, can receive the vaccine. If an individual has an allergic reaction to a first dose of vaccine, the BSACI has advised that these individuals may be able to receive a second dose of vaccine. Many individuals have tolerated subsequent doses of the same vaccine and this is preferred as it avoids an individual being wrongly labelled as allergic for life. Individuals with non-allergic reactions to the first dose can receive the second dose in any vaccination setting.

Committee on Climate Change

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he had with the Climate Change Committee on its UK Health Expert Advisory Group report entitled Sustainable Health Equity: Achieving a Net Zero UK before publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget in December 2020.

Maggie Throup: The Department continues to work with other Government departments and the Climate Change Committee to highlight the link between climate change, health and net zero ahead of the publication of the Sixth Carbon Budget.

Coronavirus: Hospital Beds

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of hospital beds that will be needed for cases of the Omicron variant of covid-19 in January based on the latest forecasts.

Maggie Throup: In the absence of any data on disease severity or the likely transmission rates in the community, it is not possible to make any reliable estimates of predicted future hospitalisation rates or the number of hospital beds required for cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. As data on transmission rates becomes clearer over time and the initial hospitalisations allow assessment of severity and care needs, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will be able to generate projections of predicted future hospitalisation rates. The UKHSA and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working together to collate this data as quickly as possible.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the NHS plans to enable 12-15 year olds to register vaccinations in the NHS Covid-19 app.

Maggie Throup: The NHS COVID Pass is only available to people aged 16 years old and over and can be used to demonstrate vaccination and recovery from COVID-19. We are exploring ways for children aged 12 to 15 years old with two vaccinations to demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel using the NHS COVID Pass. Further information will be available in due course.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of people who have arrived in the UK in 2021 and claimed asylum have been given (a) one, (b) two and (c) three covid-19 vaccinations; and what estimate he has made of the number of those people that contracted covid-19 within two weeks of their arrival.

Maggie Throup: This information is not held centrally in the format requested.COVID-19 vaccination is offered to every adult living in the United Kingdom free of charge, regardless of immigration status. Entitlement to free National Health Service treatment is generally based on ordinary residence in the UK. A person who can show they have taken up ordinary residence in the UK can access all NHS services immediately, including COVID-19 vaccinations, based on clinical need. No immigration checks are needed to receive these services and the NHS is not required to report undocumented migrants to the Home Office.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to provide the covid-19 vaccine to five to 11 year olds (a) in general and (b) who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Maggie Throup: No COVID-19 vaccine is currently authorised in the United Kingdom for use in children aged five to 11 years old by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the independent regulator.The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will continue to review data on the potential benefits and risks of vaccination of children aged five to 11 years old and will issue separate advice in due course.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support he is making available to people having difficulty booking their covid-19 booster vaccines in South Yorkshire.

Maggie Throup: NHS England and NHS Improvement have not identified any specific local issues with booking booster vaccine appointments in South Yorkshire. Available appointments continue to be added to the national booking system regularly.Appointments can also be booked online or via 119 and can be made on someone’s behalf. The NHS Immunisation Management Service may contact those who have received an invitation letter but not booked an appointment. If an individual is unable to book a booster vaccination due to an issue relating to their vaccine record, the Vaccine Data Resolution Service can resolve through 119.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 restrictions on certification announced on 8 December 2021, what advice he plans to give to people who were vaccinated against covid-19 in Scotland and cannot display their vaccine status on the NHS England App.

Maggie Throup: Interoperable digital and non-digital solutions are now available in each nation of the United Kingdom. The service an individual accesses depends on where their general practitioner (GP) is registered.Before an NHS COVID Pass can be issued, both vaccine doses must be recorded. NHS Digital has established live bi-directional data flows between England and Scotland which updates the GP record and NHS COVID Pass status. Therefore, those vaccinated in England, but registered with a GP in Scotland, can access the certification services provided in Scotland and vice versa, as well as being able to demonstrate their vaccination status anywhere in the UK.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to mitigate the risk of covid-19 infection for people who received an early dose of the covid-19 vaccine but whose booster vaccinations have been delayed.

Maggie Throup: NHS England has confirmed they are not aware of any system-wide delays to the administration of COVID-19 booster vaccines in England. From 29 November, all those aged 18 years old and above and individuals with severe immunosuppression who have had three primary doses, are eligible for a booster vaccination a minimum of three months after completion of their primary course. From 13 December, all adults aged 30 years old and over and all those in an ‘at risk’ group could book a booster dose via the National Booking Service. From 15 December, this was opened up to all adults aged 18 years old and over.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason vaccination passports will be used as criterion for entry to (a) indoor spaces and (b) large outdoor gatherings when those who have been vaccinated can still transmit covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Mandatory vaccination or test certification is part of a package of measures aimed at reducing pressure on the National Health Service. Negative test results provide some assurance that an individual is not infectious when the test is taken and for a short time afterwards. There is evidence to suggest that vaccination reduces the likelihood of infection or transmission for the Delta variant, which continues to circulate. There is insufficient data to determine the effect of boosters on transmission at this stage.There is a high level of uncertainty about the effectiveness of vaccination against infection or transmission for the Omicron variant. We do not yet know the impact vaccination has on the severity of illness with this variant.Introducing vaccine or test certification will help reduce risks in these settings when compared with no intervention. However, it will not eliminate the possibility of infectious people attending or transmitting the virus in these settings so individuals should continue to exercise caution.

Health Services

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is planning to take to offer support for the health of (a) vulnerable and (b) older patients during winter 2021-22.

Edward Argar: We are offering a free seasonal flu and COVID-19 booster vaccination to those who receive and provide care. We are also investing a further £550 million until 31 March 2022 to support social care providers with additional winter pressures. The ‘Adult social care: COVID-19 winter plan 2021 to 2022’ sets out the support we are providing for the sector to prevent and control outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, as well as usual winter pressures.NHS England and NHS Improvement have also established operational winter plans supported by an investment of an extra £5.4 billion for the COVID-19 response until April 2022 and a £250 million Primary Care Winter Access Fund to recruit more doctors and other primary care staff to improve patient access and experience.

Members: Correspondence

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the enquiry from the hon. Member for High Peak of 27 October 2021, reference RL29959.

Edward Argar: We replied to the hon. Member on 26 November 2021.

Medical Technologies Directorate: Recruitment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to have a permanent director in place for the Medical Technology Directorate; what the selection process has been for leadership of that directorate; and what steps his Department plans to take to ensure accountability of that directorate's leadership.

Edward Argar: The Department recruitment process earlier this year did not produce successful candidates. We have revised the role profile to attract a wider range of candidates and we plan to readvertise in due course.Accountability is ensured through the Directorate’s current leadership. The Directorate is led by Chris Stirling as Interim Director and Matthew Styles as Director General for NHS Policy and Performance.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the announcement of 8 December 2021 on the PANORAMIC trial, UK's most vulnerable people to receive life-saving covid-19 treatments in the community, if he will make it his policy to allow clinically vulnerable people to register their willingness to participate in the study with their GP, in advance of either displaying symptoms of covid-19, or receiving a positive PCR test result.

Maggie Throup: The PANORAMIC study is open to individuals aged over 50 years old or 18 to 49 years old with an underlying medical condition and a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for COVID-19. Individuals cannot currently register their interest in taking part in the study in advance of displaying symptoms or receiving a positive PCR test, although they will be contacted upon testing positive. However, upon receipt of a positive test they can register at the study’s website or they will be contacted by the study team or a local healthcare professional to consider enrolling. Individuals who are at greatest risk from COVID-19 will receive a letter by Christmas to alert them they may be eligible for direct access to treatments. When those within this group test positive, they will be contacted and assessed by a clinician from a COVID Medicines Delivery Unit to discuss what treatments could be suitable.

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Policy paper entitled From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives published on 6 December 2021, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of producing an alcohol strategy.

Maggie Throup: No such assessment has been made. However, the commissioning and delivery of drug and alcohol treatment services is now almost entirely integrated in England. Therefore, the implementation of many aspects of the drug strategy will also benefit people seeking treatment for alcohol dependency, through mechanisms such as an improved commissioning standard, plans to increase the workforce and the treatment funding settlement. To support these improvements, the treatment system has been allocated £533 million over three years.

Coronavirus: Evusheld

Duncan Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca drug Evusheld for immunosuppressed people in the UK; what plans he has to use that drug as a (a) prophylactic and (b) treatment; and what his timeline is for the rollout of that drug for use in the UK.

Maggie Throup: We continue to monitor the emerging data for AstraZeneca’s long-acting antibody therapy, AZD7442, also known as Evusheld. AstraZeneca have discussed potential approvals with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency .The Department published a Prior information Notice (PIN) on 5 October 2021 inviting suppliers to submit an expression of interest on neutralising antibody treatments being developed for treating and preventing COVID-19. The PIN is accessible by suppliers and enables the Department to undertake a fair and transparent market engagement process with suppliers. We are unable to provide further information on the deployment of Evusheld as it is commercially sensitive.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects that NHS covid passes will be made available for 12-15 year olds.

Maggie Throup: The travel NHS COVID Pass letter is now available for 12 to 15 year olds who are fully vaccinated. A digital solution to access the NHS COVID Pass for this age group is expected in early 2022. Children under the age of 18 years old are not required to demonstrate their vaccination status in England.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason face masks are not required in all indoor spaces.

Maggie Throup: Face coverings are not required in hospitality venues as it is not practical to remove them whilst eating or drinking. Face coverings are not required in nightclubs and other night-time dance venues as it is not recommended to wear them while exercising or during strenuous physical activity, which includes dancing. For the same reason, people are not required to wear face coverings in an indoor premises or part of a premises, that is being used wholly or mainly by people who are either eating, drinking or exercising.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his latest estimate is of when clinically vulnerable children and young people who have been vaccinated against covid-19 will be able to access and use the NHS Covid Pass for (a) domestic purposes and b) international travel.

Maggie Throup: Children under 18 years old are exempt from certification in England. Fully vaccinated individuals aged 16 years old and over can access their NHS COVID Travel Pass via NHS.UK or the NHS App. The travel NHS COVID Pass letter is now available to people over the age of 12 years old who are fully vaccinated, including clinically vulnerable children. A digital solution for 12 to 15 year olds to access their NHS COVID Pass is expected in early 2022.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason people with natural immunity to covid-19 have not been treated as equal to those who have been fully vaccinated; and if he will make a statement.

Maggie Throup: The strength of the protective immune response to COVID-19 varies greatly from person to person. Although it is likely an individual will be protected from severe disease or death for a period post recovery from first infection, the duration of this protection will also vary. Therefore the protection offered by natural immunity is not considered comparable to full vaccination.

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the change in the amount of funding for drug treatment (a) over the last ten years and (b) as committed to in the first three years of the Government’s 10-year plan announced on 6 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: The commissioning of drug and alcohol treatment services became the responsibility of local authorities through the Public Health Grant in 2013/14. Data on substance misuse spend is available from 2013/14, with comparable data from 2014/15 onwards. This includes spend on drug and alcohol treatment for adults and young people. In 2014/15, £813 million was spent on substance misuse services through the Public Health Grant in England. In 2019/20, the latest data available, £666 million was spent on substance misuse services.The Spending Review confirmed that the Public Health Grant will be maintained in real terms over the next three years. Local authorities are expected to maintain investment in substance misuse services through the Grant at previous levels. A further £533 million will be invested in the treatment and recovery system over the first three years of the drug strategy, in addition to £80 million allocated for substance misuse treatment provided in 2021/22.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what new treatment and recovery funding streams he plans to make available to support people affected by alcohol misuse.

Maggie Throup: The commissioning and delivery of drug and alcohol treatment services is now almost entirely integrated in England. Through the Government’s 10-year drug strategy, published on 6 December 2021, £533 million has been allocated to the drug and alcohol treatment system over three years and we will provide further investment for medical managed inpatient detoxification units.This funding is in addition to £9.8 million made available in 2021/22 for medically managed inpatient detoxification units and funding for local authorities from the Public Health Grant.

Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome: Health Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure accurate (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome.

Maggie Throup: In 2020, the National Health Service was the first healthcare system internationally to identify the constellation of symptoms that constitute the Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome Temporally Related to SARS-COV-2 infection in children (PIMS-TS). NHS England collaborated with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to create a case definition for PIMS-TS. Cases will be identified based on guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. NHS England convened an expert group of clinicians to develop a consensus guideline on the treatment of PIMS-TS, which is available at the following link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7500943/

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Dame Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care homes have been visited to administer covid-19 booster vaccinations since 1 November 2021.

Maggie Throup: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the latest available data as of 14 December shows that 99% of older persons care homes have received a visit to administer booster vaccinations.

Coronavirus: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of people taking (a) PCR and (b) lateral flow covid-19 tests.

Maggie Throup: A nation-wide campaign has been launched to encourage people to test when symptomatic or asymptomatic, wear a face mask and open windows. We continue to provide free lateral flow tests through a variety of channels. We encourage people to test regularly to protect those at risk of serious illness.

Travel: Coronavirus

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that consumers have accurate information to make informed decisions when purchasing covid-19 testing services; and what measures the Government plan to implement to protect consumers from potential scammers operating in the covid-19 testing market.

Maggie Throup: In order to help consumers chose a reputable private provider for testing services, we have provided guidance which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testing/list-of-private-providers-of-coronavirus-testingWe also monitor issues raised by the public and reports from other key regulatory and oversight bodies. If we become aware that a provider is not meeting the required minimum standards and it is not corrected, we can remove their listing from GOV.UK. Where a private provider’s activities pose a potential risk to public safety, we will refer them to the appropriate enforcement body, depending on the infringement. Where necessary we will support regulatory bodies undertaking further investigation of a provider and support any legal actions or interventions.Consumers who have been a victim of fraud can make a report directly to Action Fraud, Citizens Advice and the police. Any report received directly to UK Health Security Agency will be reviewed and intelligence will be shared with the appropriate authority.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2021 to Question 54029 on Coronavirus Vaccination, when will individuals vaccinated in Hong Kong be (a) able to register for the NHS Covid Passport and (b) eligible for the covid-19 booster vaccine.

Maggie Throup: Individuals who have received a vaccine approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency administered overseas and reside in England can record their vaccination on the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS). Those individuals are now able to book a face-to-face appointment at a specific vaccination centre to verify and record these doses in NIMS, which will then be displayed in the NHS COVID Pass.Further expansion of the service to include additional vaccines in the NHS COVID Pass is planned in due course. People with a vaccine from Hong Kong will also be able to show their record of this vaccination where certification is required. Once an overseas vaccine is recorded in NIMS, they will automatically be invited for a booster dose, when eligible. For those whose vaccinations are not recorded in NIMS in England, they will be unable to book an appointment through the National Booking System. However, individuals can access a booster vaccination at a walk-in centre without needing their record to be updated in advance.

Death: Alcoholic Drinks

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2020 statistics, published by the Office for National Statistics on 7 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: No specific assessment has been made. However, as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, we have provided national funding to support the implementation of specialist alcohol care teams in the 25% of hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions. This is estimated to prevent 50,000 admissions over five years. We are also investing £533 million over three years to support local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England.

Travel: Coronavirus

Colum Eastwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people travelling from non red list countries and who have connecting flights in English airports with final destinations in Northern Ireland are required to quarantine in England or in their end destination in Northern Ireland.

Maggie Throup: Travellers from non ‘red list’ countries travelling to Northern Ireland via England must observe the regulations in both England and Northern Ireland.Those who are fully vaccinated are required to take a day two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and self-isolate at the address provided on their passenger locator form. They may leave quarantine if their day two PCR result is negative.Non-vaccinated arrivals must quarantine for 10 days at the address provided on the passenger locator form and take day two and day eight PCR tests. They have the option to take the day five test to release, if the day two test is negative.

Coronavirus: Screening

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people in (a) England and (b) Merseyside have been unable to order a covid-19 lateral flow test kit from the Government website on 13 December 2021; and what steps his Department is taking to resume the provision of covid-19 lateral flow test kits from that website.

Maggie Throup: The information requested is not held centrally.There is no shortage of lateral flow tests and we have enough stock to meet increased demand. We are carefully balancing the demands placed on the delivery network to ensure that kits can be delivered to homes, collected from local pharmacies and some community sites.

Coronavirus: Screening

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Daily rapid testing for COVID-19 contacts launches this week published on 12 December 2021, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure key workers access to lateral flow tests for covid-19.

Maggie Throup: Lateral flow device tests are available for all key workers either at a local pharmacy, some community sites and via GOV.UK.

Abortion

Scott Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of safeguards to ensure that medical abortion pills sent to women by post without an in-person consultation are taken within the legal limit of ten weeks’ gestation.

Maggie Throup: The Department continues to carefully monitor the impact of and compliance with the temporary approval of home administration of both sets of abortion medication. Officials have regular meetings with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, the Care Quality Commission and abortion service providers to ensure the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect women accessing this service.The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance sets out the circumstances where women should be asked to attend a clinic for an ultra-sound scan. However, it states that “most women can determine the gestational age of their pregnancy with reasonable accuracy by last menstrual period (LMP) alone”. The Royal College’s guidance includes a decision aid for clinicians to use to help determine if an ultra-sound scan is required. This includes detailed questions to identify gestational age.

Coronavirus: Screening

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department took to help ensure supply of lateral flow tests for covid-19 at registered collection sites prior to the publication of his Department's press release entitled Daily rapid testing for COVID-19 contacts launches this week on 12 December 2021.

Maggie Throup: Each pharmacy is able to order is almost 2,500 tests every week. Increased ordering limits are available as requested by individual pharmacies as well as providing additional stock on a one-off basis.We continue to work with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and pharmacies to ensure sufficient supplies are maintained to meet increased demand.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of NHS vaccine passes in incentivising the take up of the covid-19 vaccine.

Maggie Throup: No formal assessment has been made on the likely impact of vaccine or test certification on vaccine uptake. The purpose of introducing mandatory certification as a condition of entry to certain settings is to reduce infections and reduce infections that result in serious illness or hospitalisation. Overall, introducing vaccine or test certification will help reduce risks in these settings when compared with no intervention.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, following covid-19 restrictions announced on 8 December 2021, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the existing guidance for clinically vulnerable people.

Maggie Throup: Those previously considered as clinically extremely vulnerable are advised to follow the current national guidance, while considering further precautions to reduce their exposure to COVID-19. For some people with a reduced immune response who may be at higher risk, it is recommended they seek individual advice from their medical specialists.Severely immunosuppressed individuals who have completed their primary course of three doses of the vaccine should be offered a booster dose with a minimum of three months between the third primary and booster dose. Those who have not yet received their third dose may now be given the third dose. A further booster dose can be given in three months, in line with the clinical advice on optimal timing.Immunocompromised patients are a priority for therapeutics, including neutralising monoclonal antibodies. On 17 September, Ronapreve was made available to hospitalised patients through an interim National Health Service clinical policy. A new interim clinical policy will give access to the most vulnerable non-hospitalised patients in the community with early-stage disease from 16 December, which will include the immunocompromised and those patients at higher risk of poorer COVID-19 outcomes. The current supply of Ronapreve is limited globally, therefore the clinical policy prioritises the most vulnerable patients for whom this treatment will provide the most benefit, supported by clinical evidence.

Amazon: Contracts

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the new contract with Amazon to deliver covid-19 lateral flow tests includes a requirement for Amazon to pay UK taxes on the contract value.

Maggie Throup: We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Pregnancy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Policy paper entitled The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days, what steps he is taking to help ensure that vulnerable parents are given the support they need to safely parent from the point of conception through to birth.

Maggie Throup: The Early Years Healthy Development Review’s report, published in March 2021, set out a vision for every local authority to provide an integrated universal Start for Life offer for every family which is targeted at the needs of their specific local communities, from disability to transport in rural areas, domestic abuse to drug and alcohol support. Every member of the Start for Life workforce should understand how to make a referral to children’s social services and high quality safeguarding support must be fully integrated into wider services.We have announced a £500 million investment in Start for Life and family services at the recent Spending Review. This includes £82 million to create a network of family hubs in 75 local authorities, improving access to a wide range of integrated support services for families with children; £50 million for evidence-based parenting programmes; £100 million for bespoke mental health support for new and expectant parents to nurture the relationship between parent and child; and an additional £200 million for the Supporting Families programme.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Jacob Young: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department is having with relevant stakeholders on expanding vaccine recognition for UK residents vaccinated abroad with a covid-19 vaccine approved for use by the MHRA.

Maggie Throup: The Department has regular discussions with relevant stakeholders on this issue and a solution is now in place for those vaccinated abroad with a vaccine that is also approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Since 25 November, anyone residing in England and vaccinated with any MHRA-approved vaccine types overseas can get an NHS COVID Pass. As of 9 December, individuals can now book a face-to-face appointment to visit a specific vaccination centre to update their record in the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS). Once vaccinations are verified and recorded in NIMS, they will be displayed in the NHS COVID Pass. Further expansion of this service, to include additional vaccines, is planned in due course.

Medical Equipment

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to deliver a MedTech strategy; what the objectives of that strategy will be; what metrics will be used to assess progress on those objectives; and what resource is being allocated to the delivery of that strategy.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to engage with (a) the medical technology industry and (b) other relevant stakeholders on the development of a MedTech strategy.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the role of the Medical Technology Directorate is in supporting the implementation of the Life Sciences Vision. .

Edward Argar: The Medical Technology Directorate is currently working on a strategy, due for publication next year. The strategy will support the United Kingdom MedTech sector and ensure the health and social care system can reliably access safe, effective and innovative medical technologies that support the continued delivery of high-quality care and excellent patient outcomes and represents value for money. When published, the strategy will set out the longer term aims and metrics and the vision for implementation, including the resources required for successful delivery. As part of the strategy’s development, the Directorate are engaging with key stakeholders, including industry and wider Government teams. The strategy will align with and be complementary to the Life Sciences Vision.

Heart Diseases: Health Services

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reassure people experiencing symptoms of heart valve disease that they will have access to a face to face GP appointment during the covid-19 booster vaccine rollout.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that the (a) detection and diagnostic processes and (b) subsequent support for patients with heart valve disease is not affected by a potential reduction in face-to-face GP appointments aimed at supporting the covid-19 booster vaccine rollout.

Maria Caulfield: General practices will remain open but have been asked to prioritise vaccinations and emergency care for the rest of the year. General practitioners will still be able to refer patients with a heart condition to one of 40 new diagnostic centres to access detection and diagnostic checks closer to home.

Chemotherapy

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of delivering non-acute chemotherapy within a home setting as opposed to a traditional hospital.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to promote the delivery of non-acute chemotherapy at home as opposed to in a traditional hospital setting.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding models for non-acute chemotherapy delivered in home settings opposed to in traditional hospital settings.

Maria Caulfield: All National Health Service (NHS) Trusts delivering chemotherapy services have the flexibility to put in place out of hospital chemotherapy services – this assessment should be made locally, in conjunction with the wider healthcare system, and should take account of population health needs as well as workforce capacity and overall delivery of the chemotherapy service.Decisions about out of hospital chemotherapy delivery should be taken by Trusts and their health system partners. However, as part of pandemic recovery, the NHS is seeking to retain the beneficial changes that were introduced during the pandemic, this could include virtual consultations and home delivery of oral medications.Whilst no formal assessment of funding models has taken place, strengthening system integration and place-based commissioning is an essential component of pandemic recovery. The NHS is planning to continue the transition to system-based financial allocations and enabling local systems to make decisions about payment models that best serve their population’s health needs. Where out of hospital chemotherapy is seen as a priority, local systems will be able to incentivise this.

Dental Services: West Dorset

Chris Loder: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists there are in West Dorset.

Maria Caulfield: While data is not held specifically for West Dorset, there were 354  general dental practitioners delivering National Health Service care in Dorset in the 12-month period to 31 March 2021.

Ministry of Justice

Enforcement Conduct Authority

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government has taken to support the establishment of the Enforcement Conduct Authority proposed by Centre for Social Justice; and when his Department plans to publish the results of its 2018 call for evidence on enforcement agent reforms.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice strongly supports the creation of the independent oversight body for enforcement agents and firms that has been proposed by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). Officials have met regularly with the CSJ and the working group that is establishing the body to support its development. We will undertake a review of the body within two years of its operation to see if any legislative changes are necessary to place it on a statutory footing.The publication of the response to our call for evidence about the enforcement agent reforms, which closed in February 2019, has been delayed as a result of the department’s response to the pandemic. That allowed us to refocus our priorities, which resulted, for example, in MoJ and DLUHC introducing an extended ban on enforcing evictions to prevent people being made homeless during Covid, so protecting public health and easing the burden on the NHS and local authorities.We remain committed to raising standards in this sector and will publish the response as soon as possible.

Criminal Proceedings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of outstanding criminal court cases concern (a) sexual offences, disaggregated by case type and (b) hate crime, disaggregated by protected characteristic strand, as of 1 December 2021.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has published information on the number of outstanding criminal court cases as part of the National Statistics release ‘Criminal court statistics quarterly’. The data is available by case type and offence group for Crown Court cases as part of the ‘Crown Court cases received, disposed and outstanding tool’ – with the latest data available to June 2021. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2021 At the end of June 2021 there were 6,429 outstanding sexual offence cases at the Crown Court. This represents an increase of 54% on the previous year (Q2 2020). Data to the end of December 2021 is provisionally intended for publication on 31st March 2022. It is not possible to separate this for hate crime. Hate crimes are usually prosecuted under the specific offence in legislation that they fall under, and the ‘hate’ element is an aggravating factor in that crime rather than the offence itself. Court data held in the department does not separately identify these.

Trials

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal court trials have been cancelled as a result of the withdrawal of support for prosecutions by victims in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019, (d) 2020 and (e) 2021 to date; and how many of those trials had been pending for (a) 0 to 12 months, (b) 12 to 24 months, (c) 24 to 36 months or (d) longer than 36 months at the point of cancellation, in each of those years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many criminal court trials for sexual offences, disaggregated by case type, have been cancelled as a result of the withdrawal of support for prosecutions by victims in (a) 2017, (b) 2018, (c) 2019, (d) 2020 and (e) 2021 to date; and how many of these trials had been pending for (a) 0 to 12 months, (b) 12 to 24 months, (c) 24 to 36 months or (d) longer than 36 months at the point of cancellation in each of those years.

James Cartlidge: Data on the number of cracked trials (those that are cancelled without needing to be rearranged) is published in our Criminal Court datasets trials tool available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statistics and shows a range of reasons why cases crack, including where the prosecution end the case due to the witness being absent or withdrawing. Waiting times can also be found in the above link. However, it is not possible to estimate the duration of ‘waiting time’ for cracked trials by specific reasons from the data centrally collated by the Ministry of Justice. To do so would incur disproportionate costs.

Remote Hearings: Impact Assessments

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish his Department's most recent assessment of the impact of remote trials in criminal courts on access to justice, justice outcomes and the representation of defendants.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning an independent, public evaluation of the impact of remote trials in criminal courts on access to justice, justice outcomes, and the representation of defendants.

James Cartlidge: Remote hearings are a key part of reform of our courts and tribunals system, and how video technology is used in criminal proceedings is kept under regular review by HMCTS. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) have published a large-scale multi-method evaluation of remote hearings during the pandemic. The study aimed to understand who attended remote hearings; how public users, the judiciary, legal representatives, HMCTS staff, intermediaries, support staff, and observers experienced remote hearings; and the perceptions and attitudes of these stakeholders towards remote hearings. This evaluation can be found here. More broadly, MoJ is currently conducting an evaluation of the HMCTS Reform programme. The evaluation will consider the effect of reform on fairness, access to justice and cost to users. This includes a process evaluation of the Video Hearings Service, which will explore how the hearings worked in practice and the perceptions and experiences of the parties involved, including the barriers faced and support required. Judicial decisions on whether to hold a hearing remotely are informed by the criminal procedure rules and criminal practice directions. The Department and HMCTS will continue to review the use of remote hearings.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent analysis from Which? on the rate of bank branch closures; and what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals on protecting access to cash.

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) voluntary commitments and initiatives from the payments industry and (b) statutory Government and regulatory oversight in protecting access to cash; and what his planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals on that matter.

David Mundell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on protecting access to cash in next year's Queen's Speech.

John Glen: The Government recognises that cash has ongoing importance to the daily lives of millions of people across the UK, particularly to those in vulnerable groups. That is why the Government has committed to legislate to protect access to cash for those who need it and ensuring that the UK's cash infrastructure is sustainable for the long term. To support the development of legislation, the Government has undertaken an Access to Cash Consultation seeking views on proposals for new laws to make sure people only need to travel reasonable distances to pay in or take out cash. The Government’s proposals intend to support the continued use of cash in people’s daily lives and help to enable local businesses to continue accepting cash by ensuring they can access deposit facilities. The consultation closed on 23rd of September, and the Government will set out next steps in due course. Alongside the Government’s commitment to legislate, industry also has an important role to protect access to cash. The Government therefore welcomes the announcement to fund additional shared service Bank Hubs and the direction set by the recent announcement from the Cash Action Group on industry commitments to support access to cash. The Government looks forward to seeing what results these industry initiatives deliver in protecting cash facilities for local communities across the UK. HM Treasury does not make direct assessments of banks’ or building societies’ branch networks, and decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial decision for firms. The Financial Conduct Authority expects firms to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on their customers’ everyday banking and cash access needs and consider possible alternative access arrangements. Alternative options for access include the Post Office, where 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers can carry out their everyday banking.

Energy: VAT

Claire Hanna: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of temporarily cutting VAT on energy to assist vulnerable households with rising energy costs.

Lucy Frazer: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. However, in recognition of the fact that families should not have to bear all of the VAT costs they incur to meet their needs, domestic energy such as gas and electricity, as well as heating fuels and oils, is subject to a reduced rate of VAT of 5 per cent. Although the Government keeps all taxes under review, there are currently no plans to change the VAT treatment of domestic energy.

Debts

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the level of personal debt accrued by individuals in the UK as of 14 December 2021.

John Glen: The Government regularly monitors personal debt levels to help people access the support they need to get their finances back on track. It does so by working closely with the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and engages regularly with a range of other stakeholders on their research and findings. The FCA conducts a biennial Financial Lives Survey of 16,000 adults which provides a comprehensive insight into the finances of the UK population. The latest findings from the survey were published in February 2021. They showed that between March and October 2020, the number of people with low financial resilience increased by 3.5 million, from 10.7 million to 14.2 million. MaPS monitors financial difficulty through the Debt Need Survey of approximately 22,000 people, with data on regional levels of over-indebtedness last published in 2018. MaPS will publish the results of the 2021 Debt Need Survey early next year, which will include a regional breakdown of their new Need for Debt Advice measure.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Xinjiang: Human Rights

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the naming of alleged perpetrators of gross human rights abuses named in the Xinjiang Papers released at the Uyghur Tribunal, including Chen Quanguo, Zhu Hailun and Zhu Changje.

Amanda Milling: The Government notes the findings of the Uyghur Tribunal, and welcomes its contribution to building international awareness and understanding of the human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang. The Tribunal's work adds to the growing body of evidence about the deeply disturbing situation that Uyghurs and other minorities are facing. The UK Government has consistently led international efforts to hold China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang, including by using our Global Human Rights sanctions regime to impose asset bans and travel freezes on Chinese actors responsible for enforcing China's repressive policies. We will continue to work closely with our international partners to hold the Chinese authorities to account, including at the UN.

British Council

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2021 to Question 51746, on what date professional services at the British Council were put out to tender, along with the facilities management roles which are due to transfer to Integral in 2022.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of outsourcing the delivery of the Turing Scheme on the retention of skills and experience in the British Council.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will instruct the British Council to publish its business plan for its restructuring programme; and if she will make a statement.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the effect on the effectiveness of the Government's promotion of global Britain of the British Council removing its in-country presence from all but 25 countries.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what cultural affairs activity it will no longer carry out as a result of the reduction in size of the British Council.

James Cleverly: The unprecedented impact of the pandemic required the Government to take tough but necessary decisions on the British Council's global presence and reinforced the need for the Council to do more to adapt to a changing world. We have allocated over £600 million since the pandemic hit to secure the Council's future. Final Spending Review allocations for 2022/2025 will be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process, after which future cultural and other programme activity will be decided. The British Council are in the process of finalising their future operating model, including how professional services will be delivered. Matters relating to workforce planning and talent management are for the British Council to determine.

British Council

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what further steps she plans to take to help British Council staff trapped in Afghanistan to come to the UK under the ARAP scheme.

James Cleverly: The former British Council employees who sought resettlement have already arrived in the UK, together with their dependents. In August the Government also agreed to resettle more than 50 British Council contractors. Many of these too have already arrived in the UK with their families. Travel within and out of Afghanistan remains difficult. We continue to urge the Taliban to allow safe passage, and wherever possible are in touch with those who are still in Afghanistan and eligible to come to the UK so that we can assist them.

British Council: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of funding for the British Council from her Department.

James Cleverly: We have allocated over £600 million since the pandemic hit to secure the British Council's future despite the challenging economic climate. This includes a 2021/22 Spending Review settlement totalling £189 million, a 27 per cent increase on funding for 2020/21. Whilst we have had to make difficult decisions in other areas, we have increased the money we are providing to the Council. Final Spending Review allocations for 2022/2025 will be confirmed after the conclusion of the FCDO business planning process.   We remain committed to the British Council and will continue to work together to deliver our shared ambitions for Global Britain.

Afghanistan: Repatriation

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate the Government has made of the number of UK Nationals that applied for evacuation from Afghanistan during (a) August and (b) September 2021.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate the Government has made of the number of UK Nationals currently residing in Afghanistan.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of UK nationals evacuated by her Department from Afghanistan during Operation Pitting.

James Cleverly: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not routinely ask British nationals to register with a British Embassy or High Commission overseas. Recognising the circumstances in Afghanistan, British nationals still in Afghanistan were asked to register their continued presence to allow the FCDO to maintain contact after the evacuation phase ended. British nationals continue to receive updates from the FCDO on the situation in Afghanistan.Between 15-28 August over 8,300 British nationals and dependents were evacuated from Afghanistan. Since the end of Operation Pitting, the FCDO has assisted nearly 500 British nationals and their dependents back to the UK. This includes helping 218 British nationals and their dependents leave Afghanistan through Qatari Government charter flights. We continue to work to support British nationals and their eligible dependants to leave Afghanistan if that is their wish.

Refugees: International Assistance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UNHCR Pledging Conference 2021: UK statement, published on 7 December 2021, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of the provisions in the Nationality and Borders Bill on the credibility of UK representatives.

James Cleverly: The Nationality and Borders Bill and the New Plan for Immigration, which Home Office are leading, will deliver the most comprehensive reform of the asylum system in decades. The UK has a proud history of supporting refugees, and this will continue. We will also continue to work closely with our international partners on what are shared global challenges. Ensuring refugees can access protection will remain central to our partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), other humanitarian agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations.

Refugees: International Assistance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UNHCR Pledging Conference 2021: UK statement, published on 7 December 2021, what recent estimate she has made of trends in the quantity of UK financial support for the UNHCR per person forcibly displaced over the last five years.

James Cleverly: The UK is a major humanitarian donor and one of the largest financial supporters of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in terms of both core and in-country contributions. We have provided over £714 million in funding to UNHCR across bilateral and multilateral channels over the past five years (2016-2020). We do not yet have a final figure for UK funding to UNHCR in 2021, nor does the UK carry out global estimates of the sum total number of people forcibly displaced - though UNHCR estimates this total to be at least 84 million as of mid-2021.Humanitarian assistance is one of the Foreign Secretary's top priorities for the FCDO. Our work around the world to support displaced people and the countries that host them, and to champion International Humanitarian Law, is central to our efforts to build a global network of liberty, and to the ambitions of the Integrated Review.

Refugees: International Assistance

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UNHCR Pledging Conference 2021: UK statement, published on 7 December 2021, what assessment she has made of the impact on (a) refugee protection, (b) UK influence within the UNHCR and (c) UK influence with countries affected by large refugee populations or flows of the reduction in UK contributions to the UNHCR from $134 million in 2020 to $78.6 million in 2021.

James Cleverly: Humanitarian assistance is one of the Foreign Secretary's top priorities, and the UK remains a major humanitarian donor. Our work around the world to support displaced people and the countries that host them, and to champion International Humanitarian Law, is central to our efforts to build a global network of liberty. We have led the way in forging innovative solutions to refugee crises, championing a longer-term approach and helping shape the Global Compact on Refugees - including our pioneering responses in Jordan and Ethiopia.The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is a critical partner in delivering these priorities. We play a central and influential role in supporting UNHCR - as one of its largest core funding partners, through close joint work via their Executive Committee and other governance fora, through our UN reform agenda, and by deploying our bilateral funding and global diplomatic network to carry out humanitarian diplomacy. Refugee protection is a crucial element of this partnership - and to our partnerships with other UN and Red Cross agencies - but is subject to a much broader range of factors than funding alone. We do not yet have a final figure for the UK's total 2021 funding to UNHCR, but we know the Covid-19 pandemic has had particularly severe impacts for displaced people. That is why the UK provided a £20 million uplift in core funding to UNHCR to help counter the effects of the pandemic. We have also been instrumental in advocating for greater support for host countries through our bilateral engagement - including driving progress on development financing, and host communities' access to health services, education and livelihoods.

Overseas Aid

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK aid does not promote antisemitism.

James Cleverly: The Government and UK aid is committed to combatting the rise of antisemitism in all its forms, both domestically and internationally. The UK Special Envoy for Post-Holocaust Issues, Lord Pickles, engages with the issues relating to Holocaust denial and antisemitism, and the UK was the first country to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, which we encourage others to adopt.

Israel: Hamas

Christian Wakeford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of Hamas’s recent statement calling for an escalation of violence against Israel on stability in that region.

James Cleverly: Our position on Hamas is clear: we condemn Hamas' continued attacks against civilians which are unacceptable and unjustifiable. We continue to call upon Hamas and other terrorist groups to permanently end their incitement and indiscriminate rocket fire against Israel. Hamas must renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept previously signed agreements. We call on those in the region with influence over Hamas to encourage them to take these steps.

Afghanistan: Home Country Nationals

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many Afghan nationals with UK visas who served (a) as interpreters and (b) in other locally employed staff roles are in Afghanistan as of 6 December 2021; and what steps her Department is taking to facilitate the return of those people to the UK.

James Cleverly: At the end of Operation Pitting 311 principals called forward to Hamid Karzai Airport under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme had not been evacuated. 99 of them are now in the UK and 45 in third countries. Helping all those who want to leave Afghanistan and who are eligible to come to the UK remains a priority. The Government has made clear to the Taliban the need to ensure safe passage of those entitled to go to another country. The Joint Afghanistan Casework Unit, staffed by officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Ministry of Defence, is taking forward the UK's commitment to resettle those eligible to come to the UK. The ARAP scheme remains open.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Carbon Emissions

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to help achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Jeremy Quin: Within the Ministry of Defence, we have already started our own decarbonisation journey in support of the UK's Net Zero Commitment. Our ambition as well as the range of initial actions we are taking are set out in our Strategic Approach to Climate Change and Sustainability.Working closely with our industrial partners we are supporting the move to cleaner and more efficient technology. As an example, we have already approved the use of up to 50% Sustainable Aviation Fuel in our aircraft sending a clear signal to the commercial market. We are also ensuring that we adapt our capabilities to operate effectively in a climate changed world as well as assessing the impact that climate change will have on global security.Further information on the progress the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is making can be found in the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts and our Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach which were both published on Gov.uk.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles: Decommissioning

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out of service date is for Bulldog.

Jeremy Quin: The current out of service date for Bulldog is 2030. The Bulldog capability will be replaced by another platform or family of platforms, yet to be determined. The Army has assigned resources to replace Bulldog and, on current plans, procurement activity should commence in 2025.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what basis his Department assesses the quality of deliveries of the AJAX armoured vehicle; and what recent assessment he has made of the quality of those deliveries.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence uses a range of contractual milestones to assess and monitor the quality of Ajax vehicles before delivery to the Army. The Defence Quality Assurance Field Force provides a continual assessment of the General Dynamics' Quality System and compliance with contractual requirements and legislation, seeking to identify opportunities for continuous improvement. Recent assessments indicate some improvement in General Dynamics' quality system supporting the production and delivery of Ajax vehicles.

Ajax Vehicles: Computers

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what technology readiness level the hardware being used on AJAX is at as of 13 December 2021.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what maturity level the system design for the AJAX system is at as of 13 December 2021.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what maturity level the high-level design for the AJAX system is at as of 13 December 2021.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what maturity level is the Low-Level Design (LLD) package for the AJAX system.

Jeremy Quin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the threat posed to the UK by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

James Heappey: The Government has long held concerns over the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp's destabilising activity throughout the region, both directly and through a number of militant and proscribed groups. Through our close defence partnerships across the Middle East and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the Ministry of Defence keeps these potential threats under regular review.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a transitional top up for claimants who had been in receipt of enhanced disability payments prior to a universal credit transition.

Chloe Smith: There are no plans to introduce transitional payments in Universal Credit for those claimants who had been in receipt of the enhanced disability premium. A transitional payment may be awarded to claimants who were previously entitled to the severe disability premium. These payments are made in recognition of their very specific circumstances.

Carer's Allowance

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to increase carer's allowance.

Chloe Smith: The rate of Carer’s Allowance will increase to £69.70 from April 2022. This increases means that, since 2010 it will have increased from £53.90 to £69.70 a week, providing an additional £800 a year for carers.Between 2021/22 and 2026/27 real terms expenditure on Carer’s Allowance is forecast to increase by two-fifths (around £1.3 billion). By 2026/27, the Government is forecast to spend just under £4.4billion a year on Carer’s Allowance.

Carers Allowance

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to allow those not in receipt of housing benefit or pension credit, to continue to receive carer’s allowance once they reach state pension age.

Chloe Smith: There is no upper age limit to receipt of Carer’s Allowance provided the conditions of entitlement are satisfied. It has been a long-held feature of the UK’s benefit system, under successive Governments, that where someone is entitled to two benefits in broadly the same circumstance (and this includes Carer’s Allowance and State Pension) then only one will be paid in full. This means while many pensioners receive an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance, which can help them qualify for an additional amount in Pension Credit, they do not actually receive any payment of Carer’s Allowance.

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the £510 million of funding for tackling benefit fraud will include any potential cases involving housing benefit fraud by providers of supported exempt accommodation.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the £510 million of funding allocated to tackling benefit fraud will be allocated to tackling housing benefit fraud.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much of the £510 million announced for tackling benefit fraud is (a) new funding and (b) previously allocated funding.

David Rutley: The additional £510m announced on 13th December 2021 is new funding that will enable us to drive down the level of fraud in Universal Credit and recover more debt. It will support several different methods of fraud detection and prevention, including a targeted review of Universal Credit claims, the development of a new Debt Enforcement Function and further recruitment into the Counter Fraud and Compliance and Debt directorate, so that we can continue to respond quickly and effectively to threats. This recruitment, which includes funding for around 2,000 trained specialists, will help tackle fraud across a range of benefits, including any Housing Benefit related fraud. At Spending Review 2021, the Department also secured an additional £103m for fraud and error activity. This funding is enabling DWP to continue key fraud and error detection and prevention work, and secured the completion of our current transformation programme, thus enhancing our ability to prevent and detect fraud and error.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Official Hospitality

Alex Davies-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any social events took place between three or more people within his Departmental buildings between (a) 5 November 2020 and 1 December 2020 and (b) 16 December 2020 and 22 February 2021.

Victoria Prentis: This information is not collected. At the time, staff were expected to work from home and undertake meetings remotely, wherever possible.

Canal and River Trust: Finance

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to renew the annual grant to the Canal and River Trust when the current funding period ends; and if he will make a statement.

Rebecca Pow: The 15-year Grant Agreement signed in 2012 between Defra and the Canal and River Trust (CRT) requires that a review of the grant is undertaken at the 10-year point to inform a decision on any future Government funding beyond 2026/27 when the current grant period ends. This review is currently underway and will consider the case and context for any future funding arrangements, reporting by 1 July 2022.

Wood-burning Stoves

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 59 of the Clean Air Strategy published in January 2019, what progress he has made on working with industry sectors and test houses to review different methods for testing stove emissions to determine what test methods are most reliable for wood burning stoves in the context of the EU Ecodesign regulations 2022.

Jo Churchill: Defra is continuing to work with relevant industry bodies to consider the effectiveness of the Ecodesign Regulations and has recently commissioned a study to measure emissions of pollutants from solid fuel appliances using a range of test methodologies.

Biodiversity and Nature Conservation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to fund in full the new area arising from the Environment Act, in particular (a) Local Nature Recovery Strategies and (b) Biodiversity Net Gain.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has committed to funding all new burdens on Local Authorities arising from the Environment Act, including those due to Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain.Following the spending review settlement, Defra is working through spending plans for the next three years, including by working closely with local Government organisations to determine the level of additional capacity required to implement the Act effectively.Further announcements regarding specific funding arrangements will be made in due course.

Land Drainage

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the timescale is for (a) the review of the case for implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 in England and (b) the implementation of recommendations from that review.

Rebecca Pow: The review is currently underway and will report in 2022.

Sewage: Water Treatment

Bim Afolami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Burge End Lane Pumping Station in Pirton is being considered as part of Ofwat and the Environment Agency’s investigation into sewage treatment works.

Rebecca Pow: The investigation launched by the Environment Agency on 18 November aims to determine the extent of any non-compliance with environmental permit conditions relating to flows treated and discharged from sewage treatment works within England. The Environment Agency is unable to share any specific details of the investigation at this stage as this may prejudice future legal action. However as the pumping station you refer to at Pirton is not a sewage treatment works it does not form part of this particular investigation. For any concerns about pollution arising from the pumping station, please report these to the Environment Agency on its pollution hotline 0800 80 70 60.

Nature Conservation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the (a) upfront and (b) ongoing costs required to ensure that all Local Nature Recovery Strategies are delivered fully.

Rebecca Pow: The Government has committed to funding all new burdens on Local Authorities arising from the Environment Act. This includes those relating to the preparation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies.As set out in our consultation, Local Nature Recovery Strategies: how to prepare and what to include , which is now closed, Local Nature Recovery Strategies are intended to inform a number of policy areas and will therefore be delivered through a variety of mechanisms operating in a complementary way. These could include mandatory biodiversity net gain, environmental land management schemes, the strengthened NERC duty on public bodies; and use by local planning authorities, for example in informing the preparation of local plans.

Nature Conservation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) personnel and (b) skills required by local authorities to (i) develop and (ii) implement Local Nature Recovery Strategies; and how many local authorities have access to those resources as of 10 December 2021.

Rebecca Pow: We will shortly be appointing responsible authorities to lead the preparation of Local Nature Recovery Strategies. We envisage around fifty LNRS areas at roughly county scale, covering England with no gaps or overlaps.Our five LNRS pilots in Northumberland, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Buckinghamshire and Cornwall gave us considerable insight into capacity needs which we have published in a lessons learned report. One of the central lessons was that capacity and skills needs will be different between responsible authorities depending on local circumstances like geography or administrative set up.Following the completion of our business planning process we will bring forward proposals on how we intend to support responsible authorities to prepare LNRSs.Local Nature Recovery Strategies are intended to inform a number of policy areas and will therefore be delivered through a variety of mechanisms operating in a complementary way. These could include mandatory biodiversity net gain, environmental land management schemes, the strengthened NERC duty on public bodies; and use by local planning authorities, for example in informing the preparation of local plans.

Home Office

Refugees: Afghanistan

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of Afghan relatives of UK nationals who received advice from her Department on settling in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not hold the information requested.Since the end of Operation Pitting, our helpline for non-British nationals in Afghanistan has provided information and support on the UK’s evacuation efforts, as well as general information about the relocation schemes, to 5.8 million callers.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme will begin bringing those eligible for the scheme to the UK.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of support that is offered to (a) UK nationals and (b) UK nationals’ relatives living in Afghanistan to apply to the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme.

Victoria Atkins: We are working across government and with partners such as UNHCR to design the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), amidst a complex and changing picture. We are committed to working in step with the international community to get this right, and we will set out more details soon.The first to be resettled through the ACRS will be some of those who arrived in the UK under the evacuation programme, which included individuals who were considered to be at particular risk.There will not be a formal Home Office owned application process for the ACRS. Instead, eligible people will be prioritised and referred for resettlement to the UK as set out in the policy statement published on gov.uk on 13 September, available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghanistan-resettlement-and-immigration-policy-statement.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when each Afghan national who arrived in the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, Operation Pitting and the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme will be awarded Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Victoria Atkins: In recognition of the urgency of the evacuation and the need to act quickly, the majority of those who entered the UK during the evacuation phase were granted limited leave to enter, usually for 6 months, with access to public funds and employment. This status is not a bar to them being permanently housed or to starting their life in the UK, including taking employment.The Home Office has now started the process to support all those currently in the UK with 6 months leave to apply for and be granted ILR. We will be providing support for the completion of application forms, which will be required to ensure we obtain up to date personal information and to obtain the necessary biometric resident permit consent. Our aim is to conclude this process before anyone’s leave expires.Communications have been issued advising individuals of next steps to progress permanent residence in the UK. Amongst the information provided, those communications confirm individuals’ rights to employment and to access services (e.g. medical treatment, school places). They also provide links to guidance and information on how prospective employers and landlords can contact the Home Office to confirm individuals’ right to take employment and rented accommodation.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps Afghan nationals who have settled in the UK under the (a) Ex-Gratia Scheme and (b) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme need to take to apply for relocation of additional family members in response to the security threat faced by those family members in Afghanistan.

Victoria Atkins: Individuals already settled in the UK under ARAP/EX-Gratia scheme seeking relocation for additional family members are required to apply under the additional family guidance via their original sponsoring department (MOD or FCDO). Application For Relocation To The United Kingdom Under ARAP (office.com)

Immigration: Standards

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the current backlog of cases for those seeking Leave to Remain in the UK as at 1 October 2021.

Kevin Foster: UKVI are currently facing extremely high pressure globally and this has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.To tackle this the Home Office is pursuing a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives which will speed up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the system and reduce the numbers who are awaiting an interview or decision. This includes increasing the number of decision makers and providing improved training and career progression opportunities to aid retention of staff.We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and moving away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitalising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making.

Mobile Phones: Fraud

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to tackle text scams.

Damian Hinds: Fraudsters will use any means they can, including through highly deceptive and sophisticated techniques such as text messaging scams, to trick people into handing over their hard-earned money.This Government is committed to protecting people from all types of fraud and pursuing those who perpetuate these crimes wherever possible. In May, we published a Statement of Progress on the Economic Crime Plan which committed to developing a comprehensive Fraud Action Plan.The Government has also worked jointly with the telecommunications industry to agree a Telecommunications Fraud Sector Charter. Under the charter, telecommunications providers have committed to identify and implement techniques to block smishing texts.We continue to encourage the public to forward suspicious text messages to 7726 (which is free of charge) and anyone who has been a targeted by fraud to report it. Action Fraud is the national reporting service for all victims of fraud and cybercrime and can be contacted by phone on 0300 123 2040 or through their website, currently available at: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/reporting-fraud-and-cyber-crime.This information is being used by the City of London Police, the National Cyber Security Centre, and the National Crime Agency to identify, disrupt and stop fraudsters.

Victim Support Schemes: Finance

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of (a) the level of demand for and (b) the potential merits of introducing funding mechanisms for specialist services to provide support to victims of online abuse and other forms of online violence against women and girls.

Rachel Maclean: Harmful online abuse is unacceptable, and the online safety framework will require companies to take robust action to improve the safety of their users. The Online Safety Bill will introduce a Duty of Care which will apply to all online services that allow user generated content. Companies will need to have systems and processes in place to keep their users safe, and Ofcom will have tough enforcement powers to use against those which do not comply.On July 21 we published our new cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to help ensure that women and girls are safe everywhere – at home, on the streets, and online.The Strategy was informed by a national Call for Evidence on Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls which received an unprecedented 180,000 responses and highlighted numerous issues - including online abuse - that the Government is determined to address.Through the Tackling VAWG Strategy we have committed to an additional £1.5m this year for specialist support services and to increase our funding for helplines, such as the Revenge Porn Helpline and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s national stalking helpline, which provide support to victims of intimate image abuse and cyber-stalking online.

Crimes of Violence: Young People

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Understanding serious violence among young people in London, published by the Greater London Authority in December 2021, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the impact on serious youth violence of (a) area unemployment, (b) area school absence rates, (c) area food insecurity, (d) area deprivation, (e) area youth unemployment and (f) area school suspension rates.

Kit Malthouse: The Government understands the importance of tackling serious violence from all angles and is aware of the multiple risk factors that make a young person more likely to be involved. As a result, we are taking a whole system approach to reducing violence – this means working with a wide range of partners to prevent serious violence, including schools.Since 2018, we have invested £105.5m into multi-agency Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the 18 areas most affected by serious violence. This includes London which received £21m to support its VRU. In addition, the Metropolitan Police have been allocated over £43.9m to fund a surge in police operational activity on serious violence.We know engagement in education is one of the strongest protective factors against serious violence, that is why the Government is investing over £45m in mainstream (over 3 years) and Alternative Provision (AP) schools (over 2 years) in serious violence hotspots including London to support young people at risk of involvement in serious violence to re-engage in education.This year we are also investing up to £20m in new early intervention programmes that will help stop young people from being drawn into violence, and our Creating Opportunities Forum programme will provide meaningful employment-related opportunities and raise the aspirations of young people at risk of being drawn into serious violence and knife crime. In London Croydon, Hackney, Lambeth and your own borough Newham are part of the programme that is already supporting young people to access work-related opportunities.In the longer term, our £200m 10-year Youth Endowment Fund is testing what works to divert young people away from serious violence.However, we know there is still more to do. That is why we are introducing a duty on public sector bodies to take a joined-up approach to addressing serious violence through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Crimes of Violence: Staffordshire

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to increase police capacity in Staffordshire to tackle serious violent crimes.

Kit Malthouse: We are increasing the number of police officers in England and Wales by 20,000 by the end of March 2023 and I am pleased to say excellent progress is being made in delivering against this target.Due to their hard work and commitment, police forces in England and Wales have already recruited 11,053 additional officers, 55% of the 20,000-officer target.As at 30 September 2021, Staffordshire police had recruited 149 additional officers against a combined allocation of 179 additional officers for years one and two of the uplift programme. These officers are tackling crime and keeping the communities of Staffordshire, safe. The deployment of officers is a decision for operationally independent Chief Constables.We are committed to reducing serious violence and putting an end to the tragedies afflicting our communities. It is important that we work across government, statutory, private, and voluntary sectors to turn the tide of violence and deliver change. Tackling serious violence forms a key part of the Government’s Beating Crime Plan, which sets out our strategic vision to cut crime and protect victims. The Government is making £130.5m available this year to tackle serious violence, including murder and knife crime.We acknowledge there is more to do which is why we are bringing forward the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill so the law-abiding majority can be confident they are safe.

Police Custody

Robert Largan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many holding cells each police force in England and Wales has possession; and what the average journey time from a person's arrest to placement in a holding cell is in each constituency in England and Wales.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Office does not collect data on the number of police holding cells nor on the time taken from a person’s arrest to placement in a holding cell.

European Arrest Warrants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of withdrawing the UK from the European Arrest Warrant.

Kit Malthouse: The surrender provisions of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement have replaced the European Arrest Warrant regime, maintaining a streamlined warrant-based extradition system between the UK and all EU Member States.Arrests and surrenders continue both in the UK and in EU Member States, and we continue to work closely with domestic operational partners and counterparts in the EU to monitor the operation of these new arrangements.

Metropolitan Police

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to increase public confidence in the Metropolitan Police Service.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to do everything in its power to deliver improvements within policing and across the criminal justice system to secure confidence in the police and ultimately keep people safe.As at 30 September 2021, the Metropolitan Police Service has recruited 2,070 additional officers and have been allocated a total of 2,713 additional officers for years one and two of the uplift combined. Preventative activity set out in the Beating Crime Plan is also vital to ensuring we create safer streets and neighbourhoods in London.To provide assurance on progress made in counter-corruption, vetting and other areas of concern, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) are currently undertaking a thematic inspection into the MPS at the Home Secretary's request. HMICFRS have also agreed to look at lessons learned from the investigative failings in the Stephen Port case.The establishment of the Angiolini Inquiry which will shine a light on the failings that allowed a serving police officer to abuse his power in such a horrific manner and make recommendations for change within policing.The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report highlighted a number of recommendations across crime and policing earlier this year, including on improving trust and confidence by strengthening the systems of accountability and transparency. The Government will respond to these recommendations shortly.

Knife Crime Prevention Orders

Kate Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Knife Crime Prevention Orders; and when those orders will be rolled out to police forces across England and Wales.

Kit Malthouse: Knife Crime Prevention Orders have been introduced to protect lives and to prevent vulnerable people from becoming serious criminals. The police are confident they will be a valuable additional tool to prevent crime and keep our communities safe.On 5 July 2021, we introduced the pilot for Knife Crime Prevention Orders across the Metropolitan Police area. There will be a robust and scientific evaluation of the pilot and it will allow us to judge the effectiveness of the orders before any decision is taken about whether to roll out the orders nationally. A report following the pilot must also be laid before Parliament before Knife Crime Prevention Orders can be introduced across England and Wales.

Police: DNA

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether DNA samples are routinely taken from all police officers; and for how long DNA samples taken from police officers are retained.

Kit Malthouse: It is currently a condition of employment that all police officers who could be in a position to contaminate any crime scene, suspect or victim, or material recovered from them, to provide a sample of DNA for analysis as part of their terms of employment.DNA samples taken from police officers are destroyed within 6 months of the date taken. The profiles derived from the DNA samples can be searched on the Contamination Elimination Database for 12 months after the individual has left employment. This is for the purpose of identifying any historical contamination events.

Police: Inquiries

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that investigations take place into the colleagues of the killer of Sarah Everard, who were reportedly aware of previous allegations against him.

Kit Malthouse: The Home Secretary has announced a two part inquiry to investigate the issues raised by the conviction of Wayne Couzens for the death of Sarah Everard. Part one will examine Couzens’ previous behaviour and establish a comprehensive account of his conduct leading up to his conviction, as well as any opportunities missed, drawing on the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) investigations, once concluded. The full terms of reference for Part 1 of the Inquiry will be published as soon as possible.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is also investigating various matters in connection with Couzens – including possible failings in relation to previous investigations. They are looking at separate cases which include investigations into Kent’s Police handling of an incident involving him in 2015, and the Met Police’s response to reports of a criminal offence involving Couzens on 28 February 2021. The IOPC provides public updates on its investigations via its website.

Asylum: Hotels

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what additional facilities and services are in place to meet the needs of asylum seekers accommodated in hotels in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Foster: Our accommodation providers in Northern Ireland, Mears, work closely with Local Authorities to ensure asylum seekers are accommodated where shops, hospitals, places of worship and other facilities are within a manageable travelling distance.The hotel accommodation provided is of a good quality. Asylum seekers receive three meals a day, with staggered mealtimes to cater for social distancing requirements and support meets all the current public health guidelines and our standards. All asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help. Here asylum seekers can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.The Intercultural Education Service (IES) have developed interim education provision for families in contingency accommodation. They have recruited additional teaching staff, to help with planning and delivering this provision, now named ‘The Welcome Club’. These teachers have been provided with additional training from IES to ensure an appropriate level of awareness around the needs of children within hotel accommodation. The Welcome Club will provide an educational provision for all young people living in hotel accommodation, ensuring a trauma informed and nurturing approach to the deliver.In addition to the welcome club teachers have been delivering educational activities within the hotels since Mid-November. Families with school aged children are triaged for priority dispersal to enable school registration as soon as possible.Furthermore, the NI New Entrants Service is triaging the contingency asylum population for health screening and GP registration. The NI Department of Health has recently reinforced the asylum population’s eligible access to GPs, including when in contingency accommodation and the NI British Red cross is assisting vulnerable service users in completing the registration process.

Asylum: Hotels

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to expediate her Department's processing of applications of asylum seekers housed in hotels.

Kevin Foster: All asylum claims are considered on a case by case basis and in line with published policy.We are currently concentrating on deciding older claims, cases with acute vulnerability and those in receipt of the greatest level of support, including Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children. Additionally, we are prioritising cases where an individual has already received a decision, but a reconsideration is required.Alongside this we are investing in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives which will speed up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision. We have extensive recruitment and training plans in place, including career progression options that will aid the retention of staff.We are continuing to develop existing and new technology to help build on recent improvements such as digital interviewing and move away from a paper-based system. We are streamlining and digitising the case working process to enable more effective workflow, appointment booking and decision-making. Additionally, we have introduced specialist Decision Making Units, providing greater ownership and management of cohorts of asylum cases.

Asylum: Hotels

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to source additional appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Foster: The current global pandemic along with high intake presented us with significant challenges when it comes to the provision of asylum accommodation, including sourcing sufficient suitable accommodation to meet demand.The use of hotels and wider government facilities is a short-term measure and we are working with our accommodation providers to move people to longer-term dispersal accommodation as soon as it becomes available. The Home Office is working closely with our asylum accommodation provider Mears, Local Authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships to increase the amount of accommodation available for asylum seekers in Northern Ireland so we can eliminate the need for the use of contingency accommodation.The Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership works with local statutory partners such as the NI Housing Executive to consider procurement referrals within Belfast, taking into consideration any local service pressures, and has additional established a sub group to progress the widening of procurement out with Belfast to support increased, sustainable and supported procurement with the relevant local partners.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 25 August 2021 regarding Dilshad Ahmed.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded on 14 December 2021

Asylum: Housing

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what minimum service level agreements her Department has in place with companies that administer asylum seeker accommodation in respect to the maintenance of their properties.

Kevin Foster: The current Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts commenced in September 2019 and are provided by three commercial providers. The contracts are published and in the public domain. Further information can be found at: New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Home Office have access to providers’ systems to monitor compliance. The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts have a robust performance management system, against which providers are expected to deliver. This is supplemented by a formal governance process which includes quarterly Strategic Review Management Boards and monthly Contract Management Groups. Service credits and subsequent improvement plans are discussed and monitored as part of this process. Service Delivery Managers speak daily with providers about service delivery and performance. In response to the global pandemic, officials also have formal meetings on a weekly basis to ensure individuals are housed safely, services are delivered in line with their contractual obligations and adherence to guidance from Public Health England (PHE) is followed.Asylum seekers can also raise specific issues or concerns about their accommodation through the 24/7 Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service operated by Migrant Help. The Home Office and our providers receive feedback on complaints raised through our regular dialogue with Migrant Help, which enables attention to be focussed on particular areas of concern.

Asylum: Employment

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Written Statement of 8 December 2021, HCWS 452 on Asylum policy, when her Department plans to publish the data underpinning the conclusion that the benefits arising from a relaxation of the right to work policy are likely to be significantly lower than the figures claimed by Lift the Ban.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has already published the conclusion of the policy review. The Home Office is under no obligation to issue supplementary information.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the long-term impact on eligible EU citizens living in the UK who did not apply for EU settlement scheme from 1 July 2021.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice is given to local authorities with regards to children in care who are eligible EU citizens who have not applied to the EU settlement scheme for the right to remain in the UK.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of automatically (a) enrolling in the EU Settlement Scheme or (b) granting citizenship to children under 18 who were born in the UK to parents from European member states.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the long-term effects on children who did not apply to the EU settlement scheme before they turned 18.

Kevin Foster: In line with the Citizens’ Rights Agreements, there remains scope, indefinitely, for a person eligible for status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to make a late application to the scheme where there are reasonable grounds for their failure to meet the deadline applicable to them. The Home Office published non-exhaustive guidance on 1 April 2021 on whatmay constitute such reasonable grounds, to underpin a flexible and pragmaticapproach to considering late applications to the EUSS in light of thecircumstances of each case. The guidance refers, as an example of reasonable grounds, to where a parent, guardian or Local Authority has failed to apply on behalf of a child by the relevant deadline. The relevant guidance is now available at pages 32 to 50 here: EU Settlement Scheme EU, other EEA, Swiss citizens and family members (publishing.service.gov.uk) There are no plans to implement automatic enrolment to the EUSS for children under 18 who were born in the UK to parents from European Union member states. It is important all those eligible for the EUSS obtain the individual status under the scheme and the secure evidence of this which they will need to prove their rights in the UK for years to come, such a provision could also conflict with nationality law as a child born in the UK to an EU citizen will automatically be a British citizen if one of their parents was settled in the UK, for example by holding Settled Status under the EUSS, at the time of their birth. In addition, a child of an EU citizen has an entitlement to registration as a British citizen if the parent becomes settled after the child’s birth. The Home Office also introduced Regulations earlier this year to ensure a specific group of children, born between the end of the grace period on 30 June 2021 and their parent being granted settled status under the EUSS, will automatically be a British citizen. However, the basic position described above is the same for all children born in the UK: we do not intend to create a separate route to British citizenship for the children of EU citizens. The Home Office continues to work closely with Local Authorities to monitor their progress in making applications to the EUSS on behalf of looked after children and care leavers and to ensure the EUSS remains a high priority in their work with that group. The latest survey indicates that, as of 30 November 2021, for children for whom the Local Authority has parental responsibility, 96% of those identified as eligible for the EUSS had so far had an application to the scheme made for them by the Local Authority. The full survey can be found at: EU Settlement Scheme: looked-after children and care leavers survey 2020 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). To ensure information and assistance gets through to those who are hardest to reach, and no one is left behind, the Home Office has provided £25 million in grant funding through to 31 March 2022 to a network of 72 organisations across the UK, which includes local authorities and local government associations, working to help vulnerable people apply to the EUSS.

British Nationality

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether British citizens must be formally notified of any proposals to revoke their citizenship by the Government.

Kevin Foster: Section 40(5) of the British Nationality Act 1981 (BNA) requires the Secretary of State to give a person notice of a decision to deprive them of their citizenship before making the deprivation order.The Nationality and Borders Bill allows for someone to be deprived of their citizenship without prior notice but only in exceptional circumstances. Those circumstances are where we do not know the person’s whereabouts, where it would not be reasonably practicable to give notice or where notice cannot be given for reasons of national security, in the interests of the relationship between the UK and another country or otherwise in the public interest.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Supported Housing: Older People

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has plans to review planning guidance to local authorities to help expand provision of (a) housing-with-care and (b) integrated retirement communities for older people in the context of the Government's adult social care reform white paper.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take together with the Department for Health and Social Care to engage across Government for the purposes of increasing housing-with-care provision for older people as set out in the Government's adult social care reform white paper.

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to make assessment of the potential merits of establishing a housing-with-care task force, as proposed by the integrated retirement community sector.

Christopher Pincher: Both this department and the Department of Health and Social Care are committed to further improving the diversity of housing options available to older people. We believe that offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently and feel more connected to their communities.   Boosting the supply of a range of specialist housing for older people will be key to achieving this aim. We already work closely with the Department of Health and Social Care to provide capital funding to incentivise their supply.   As set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent white paper, People at the Heart of Care , a new £300 million investment will embed the strategic commitment to connect housing with health and care in all local places and drive the stock of new supported housing Our National Planning Policy Framework already states that local authorities should assess the types of specialist housing needed for older people in their areas, and this should be reflected in their local planning policies.    We will continue to work closely with colleagues across government and with a range of stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people’s housing sector. This includes considering the merits of different engagement and delivery models including proposals from the sector for a cross-Government taskforce.

Supported Housing: Older People

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of levels of demand for (a) integrated retirement communities and (b) other specialist housing for older people (i) as of 14 December 2021 and (ii) over the next 10 years.

Christopher Pincher: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has not made its own assessment of the levels of demand for different kinds of specialist housing for older people. According to one study, between 2020 and 2030, projected demand for supported housing in England, which includes specialist accommodation for older people, is estimated to increase by 125,000 units.   Further details are set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s recently published white paper, People at the Heart of Care.

Buildings: Safety

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what training and qualification requirements building safety managers will need.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to support building safety managers to access ongoing training to ensure their knowledge base is up to date.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of (a) the training support and guidance that building safety managers will need and (b) the cost of that training support and guidance.

Christopher Pincher: To ensure a robust and consistent approach to assuring competence, we are sponsoring the British Standards Institution to create a suite of national competence standards for higher risk buildings. This will include the competence framework for the Building Safety Manager and other key roles It is important that industry takes ownership of improving competence to ensure change is meaningful and sustained. Industry is best placed to ensure supply of Building Safety Managers can meet demand and is already leading the work to develop the competence framework for Building Safety Managers. We fully support these efforts The Government intends to provide statutory guidance to support how the competence of the Building Safety Manager is assessed and assured. We expect that statutory guidance would provide examples of how the Building Safety Manager might meet the competence requirements, making reference to the Publicly Available Specification and, if sufficiently robust, accredited industry-run registers.

Buildings: Safety

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact on leaseholder mental health of the building safety crisis.

Christopher Pincher: The Department has regular engagement with leaseholder groups and recognises the impact on residents living in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding. That is why the Government is investing over £5 billion to remediate high rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding Mental health is one of the Government’s top priorities and we are working across Government to ensure that all people, regardless of their residential situation, get the help and support they need. Where residents of buildings fitted with unsafe cladding need mental health support, they should make contact with their GP to discuss these issues so they may be referred to mental health services as appropriate.

Electrical Safety

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to support a review into the timer switches on electrical consumer units following the report by the London Fire Brigade into the cause of the New Providence Wharf fire.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to BS7671 IET Wiring Regulations, whether he has plans to make the electrical regulation which requires consumer units in domestic settings to have a non-combustible enclosure retrospective following the report by the London Fire Brigade into the causes of the New Providence Wharf fire.

Christopher Pincher: The Department welcomes the London Fire Brigade's report into the causes of the New Providence Wharf fire and has noted the content.Electrical equipment is required to meet the health and safety requirements under the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations before it can be placed on the market. To meet these requirements many businesses will follow voluntary designated standards.In response to the report, the Office for Product Safety and Standards has conducted an initial review of existing designated standards relevant to timer switches. This review has established that there are already standards in place which although not specifically for timer switches in consumer units, are broadly comparable with the standards for components intended for use in consumer units.When a new consumer unit is installed, electrical regulations require this to be a metal consumer unit or a plastic consumer unit in a non-combustible enclosure. We will keep these requirements under review through our work with the industry committee responsible for development of BS7671, the standard used to show compliance with electrical safety regulations.

Local Plans: York

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to conclude the local plan process for York by 2023.

Christopher Pincher: The Local Plan remains at examination and the independent Inspector plays an important role in examining plans impartially to ensure that they are legally compliant and sound.The City of York Council published additional evidence for public consultation in the Summer and the responses have been sent to the Inspectors. The Inspectors wrote to the Council on 25 October setting out their intention to hold further hearings commencing in early 2022 to revisit a number of topic areas in order to move the examination forward as efficiently and effectively as possible.It is important to ensure that progress on the York local plan is maintained and the Inspectors given the opportunity to issue their final report. The Government has set a deadline for all local planning authorities to have up-to-date local plans by the end of 2023. This will help deliver the certainty that local communities and businesses deserve.

Supported Housing: Older People

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the White Paper on Adult Social Care Reform, what steps his Department will take to increase collaboration with the Department of Health and Social Care to expand housing-based care options for older people.

Christopher Pincher: Both my Department and the Department of Health and Social Care are committed to further improving the diversity of housing options available to older people. We believe that offering older people a better choice of accommodation to suit their changing needs can help them to live independently and feel more connected to their communities.   Boosting the supply of a range of specialist housing for older people will be key to achieving this aim. We already work closely with the Department of Health and Social care to provide capital funding to incentivise their supply.   As set out in the Department of Health and Social Care’s recent white paper, People at the Heart of Care , a new £300 million investment will embed the strategic commitment to connect housing with health and care in all local places and drive the stock of new supported housing.   We will continue to work across government and with a range of stakeholders to look at how we can further support the growth of a thriving older people’s housing sector.

Green Belt: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the future of the green belt with respect to (a) future homebuilding and (b) delivering carbon neutral homes.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he considers the development of carbon negative homes in the greenbelt as an exceptional circumstance.

Christopher Pincher: This Government is committed to protecting and enhancing the Green Belt. The strong protections in place for green belt land, which should be reflected in the local plan for the area, are to remain firmly in place.The Framework applies a test when inappropriate development – including most housing – is proposed for land within a green belt. It says that inappropriate development is harmful to the openness of green belt and should be refused planning permission unless there are very special circumstances in the case, as judged by the local authority.Whether assessing the need to adjust a green belt boundary to accommodate essential development, or considering an individual planning application, it is for the local decision-makers to determine which matters are relevant and how much weight to attach to each.  The Framework does expect local authorities to mitigate climate change by minimising greenhouse gas emissions; designing beautiful and sustainable places resilient to climate change; and ensuring the provision and retention of green infrastructure.  To help meet our net zero carbon target the Government is encouraging local authorities to deliver energy-efficient housing, wherever it is located; and from 2025 the Future Homes Standard will make sure that new homes produce at least 75% lower CO2 emissions compared to those built to current standards.

Local Government Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in local government finance on the provision of vital services by those authorities.

Kemi Badenoch: As announced at the Spending Review, Core Spending Power for local authorities is estimated to increase by an average of 3% in real terms each year, including investment in Adult Social Care reform. By 2024/25 it is expected to rise to around £59 billion.The Government is providing around £1.6 billion additional grant in each year of the Spending Review, including funding for Supporting Families and Cyber Resilience. This will allow councils to increase their spending on the vital public services they provide, such as Children's and Adults Social Care, and will ensure those services can respond effectively to rising demand and cost pressures.The provisional Local Government Finance Settlement, published on 16 December, makes available an additional £3.5 billion to councils, including funding for Adult Social Care reform. This is an increase in local authority funding for 2022/23 of over 4% in real terms, to give councils across the country the resources they need to deliver key services.We expect all of the public sector, including local government, to be looking to get the best value from their spending and to improve efficiency.Local authorities have the flexibility to use funding in a way that responds to local needs, and can prioritise based on their own understanding of the needs of their local communities.

Islam: Religious Hatred

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Government adopting a definition of Islamophobia.

Kemi Badenoch: This Government remains committed to stamping out anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious prejudice. It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practicing their religion and we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred.The adoption of a definition of Islamophobia by the Government remains under consideration.

Local Government Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he will take to ensure that local authorities receive adequate funding to provide public services in a safe manner during the covid-19 outbreak.

Kemi Badenoch: Local authorities in England have been provided with over £13 million since the start of the pandemic to tackle the impacts of COVID-19. Of this, over £6 billion is unringfenced in recognition that local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 pressures in their local area. We continue to closely monitor the sector's finances as we have done throughout the pandemic.

Retail Trade: Government Assistance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what plans he has to support high streets to regenerate that have not benefited from Government funding to date.

Neil O'Brien: Now more than ever, it is vital that we continue to help our local economies by supporting town centres and high streets to regenerate, adapt, evolve and thrive.Government has already committed billions of pounds to support economic growth and regeneration for high streets, including £3.6 billion through the Towns Fund and Future High Streets Fund. While some of this funding is already committed, there are further forthcoming opportunities for additional funding: we are taking further concrete steps towards levelling up through initiatives including the new £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund, which will invest in infrastructure to improve everyday local life and boost growth and jobs, including through future rounds reaching more places. We will furthermore launch the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022, and in preparation we have already supported places with £220 million through the UK Community Renewal Fund. The £150 million Community Ownership Fund, administered over four years, will help communities purchase and refurbish assets at risk of closure. Facilities including sports halls, cinemas, theatres, parks and shops are all covered by the fund that will run until 2024/25 and have at least eight bidding rounds.Beyond substantial funding offers, Government is providing support to local leadership with the High Streets Task Force. Over five years this is providing hands-on support to local areas to develop data-driven innovative strategies and to connect local areas to relevant experts. We were pleased to be able to announce the next 70 local authorities to receive bespoke expert support in March and delivery of this support has been taking place over 2021 and will continue into 2022. We will be announcing a further tranche of local authorities to receive in-person expert support from the Task Force in 2022.In addition to this, the Build Back Better High Streets strategy published in July 2021 forms a key part of Government's plan to level up and will deliver visible changes to local areas and communities across England, transforming derelict buildings, supporting businesses, cleaning up our streets, improving the public realm in our towns and cities, and supporting a renewed sense of community and pride for current and future generations. This included ambitious planning reforms and encouraging the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders to address vacant property and supporting high street businesses by protecting commercial tenants from eviction and helping businesses adapt and respond to the changing high street.To address adaptation and reinvention of our high streets, we also introduced more flexibility into the planning systems in September 2020, through a new Commercial, Business and Service use class (Class E) which allows uses within it to change between these uses without the need for a planning application. These reforms provide businesses with greater freedom to change between uses commonly found on the high street, enabling them to adjust more quickly, and with more planning certainty, to changing demands and circumstances. It allows premises to move between uses such as shops, restaurants, offices, gyms and health centres, or to provide a mix of such uses, including at different times of the day.

Regional Planning and Development

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what effect the Levelling Up Fund will have on the implementation of the Government's skills agenda in Hendon constituency.

Neil O'Brien: The Levelling Up Fund focuses on infrastructure projects that will improve everyday life across the UK. As set out in the prospectus published on Gov.uk, the Fund will be delivered as part of a complimentary package of UK-wide interventions, which include funds related to the skills agenda such as UK Community Renewal Fund and UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Rural Areas: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what comparative assessment he has made of the support received by rural areas under (a) EU structural funds and (b) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Neil O'Brien: The Government recognises the role EU Structural Funding has played in supporting jobs and growth opportunities across the UK. Leaving the European Union has provided us with a fresh opportunity to create a fund which invests in UK priorities and targets funding where it is needed most.The UKSPF, worth over £2.6 billion, will help people access opportunity in places in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and people in disadvantaged groups across the UK. Further details about the UKSPF will be set out in due course.

Regional Planning and Development

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of supporting the Local Trust charity to help the implementation of the Government's levelling up agenda.

Neil O'Brien: Through the Levelling Up White Paper we will be setting out the UK Government’s plans for strengthening social infrastructure and empowering communities to shape what happens in their local area. We will be working with organisations in the voluntary and community sector to develop and take forward these plans.

Community Assets: Hendon

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps he has taken to support communities in the Hendon constituency to protect their local assets.

Neil O'Brien: In July the Department launched a 4-year UK wide £150 million Community Ownership Fund to support community groups bring important local assets at risk of loss into community ownership. In November we announced 21 projects which the Fund will support. My Department is in the process of updating the bidding prospectus and guidance notes for the next round of the Fund which will take place next year.

Department for International Trade

World Expo: Dubai

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many businesses from the UK's (a) hospitality, (b) retail and (c) leisure sector have exhibited in the UK's pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai between 1 October and 14 December 2021.

Mike Freer: The UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is the centre point of a business culture education and tourism programme that promotes the UK and UK companies in a number of different ways. UK expertise and excellence is promoted through the retail of food and drink, physical showcasing, thought leadership sessions, business and networking events and through online podcasts, virtual events and media/communications. The activity at the UK Pavilion is arranged by the UK Government via the Department for International Trade (DIT) and also by sponsors and UK companies/organisations using the space to deliver their own events and messages. The number of UK companies that have taken part in the DIT programme as speakers, panellists and providers of podcasts online and physically to date are: Fashion and Retail: 11 Creative Industries: 30 The UK Company Living Hospitality are providing the onsite retailing of food and drink using menus that are designed to showcase the whole of the UK. UK food and drink is also highlighted at the Pavilion’s events and online. Food showcasing is also taking place within sponsors’ events at the Pavilion, notably Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s events. The Young Chef Young Waiter Competition held at the UK Pavilion and in the City of Dubai also showcased and promoted the best of the UK hospitality sector.

Trade Barriers

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps her Department is taking to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses.

Mike Freer: The Government has an ambitious programme to reduce barriers to global trade for British businesses. Our work on market access focuses on removing regulatory barriers and other impediments to trade globally. As a result, we fully or partially resolved 217 trade barriers across 74 countries in 2020-21, up 20% from 2019-20. We are opening up markets through bilateral trade agreements. We have so far secured trade agreements with 70 countries, plus the EU, covering trade worth £766 billion last year, delivering benefits for communities across the country.

Arms Trade: Ethiopia

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Strategic export controls: licensing statistics: 1 April to 30 June 2021, Table E, what each of the military licences granted for export to Ethiopia related to in each of the last five years.

Mike Freer: Information on all military licences granted for export to Ethiopia over the last five years is available on GOV.UK, from the strategic export controls licensing statistics annual reports, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data-annual-reports.

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to Written Statement of 8 December 2021, HCWS449 on Trade Policy Update, whether her Department has made an assessment of the impact of new licensing criteria on the likelihood of UK arms to be used in humanitarian contexts.

Mike Freer: HM Government takes its arms export responsibilities seriously and assesses export licence applications in accordance with the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. These Criteria provide a thorough risk assessment framework for assessing export licence applications and require us to think hard about the impact of providing equipment and its capabilities. They maintain the high standards we and European partners share on internal repression, international humanitarian law and the upholding of international obligations more generally. We will not license the export of equipment where to do so would be inconsistent with these Criteria.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent steps the Government has taken to support bilateral trade with Israel.

Mike Freer: On December 2nd, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade confirmed to the House that the UK will open a public consultation on an enhanced bilateral free trade agreement with Israel early next year. Officials are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts to implement the existing UK-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement. The UK is due to hold the inaugural UK-Israel Joint Committee early next year and is also planning to host a joint UK-Israel Innovation Summit in March. This will be an opportunity to highlight our ambitious trade, science and innovation relationship, and showcase the shared talents of leading British and Israeli businesses.

Members: Correspondence

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when she will respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Gordon dated 22 October 2021 and 26 November 2021 (Case Ref: RI4282) regarding the Export Support Service.

Mike Freer: I responded to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Gordon, dated 22 October 2021 and 26 November 2021, (Case Ref: RI4282) regarding the Export Support Service on 17 December.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Arts: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to invest in the digital arts.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS recognises the importance and potential of the digital arts, and invests in a number of digital arts programmes and projects through Arts Council England (ACE). ACE funds a range of digital arts commissions through Project Grants, with recent examples including the Jasmin Vardimon Alice VR project and Digital Democracies which is a project focused on developing digital artworks for public spaces.ACE also supports a number of National Portfolio Organisations that specialise in digital art including Blast Theory, Invisible Flock and FACT.The Space, which currently has a £2 million two-year grant from the taxpayer via ACE, aims to help build the digital capacity of arts organisations so that they are more knowledgeable and confident about developing digital arts projects. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Space has also delivered 25 digital commissions for the BBC, including the Culture in Quarantine: Filmed in Lockdown series, and in the last six months it has delivered a further 12 commissions for Culture in Quarantine made by disabled artists to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act.

Arts: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to provide funding to support the arts.

Nigel Huddleston: DCMS is committed to supporting arts and culture across the country. This commitment is evident in the recent Spending Round, where it was announced that Arts Council England will be receiving over £375 million of taxpayer funding in 2021/22.In November 2021 we also announced that 925 arts, heritage and cultural organisations would benefit from the third round of the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) – the largest ever investment in the arts in the UK’s history. In total, over £1.3 billion has now been allocated from the CRF which has helped around 5,000 individual organisations and sites to date.The Government wants everybody to benefit from arts and culture, and will continue to put forward the strongest case for robust funding at future fiscal events.

Museums and Galleries: Fees and Charges

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of museum entry fees on access to the arts for low income families.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government supports free entry to DCMS-sponsored museums, and reiterated this commitment in its 2019 manifesto. The Government also supports free entry to non-national museums through the Museums and Galleries VAT Refund scheme, known as Section 33A. This scheme allows eligible museums and galleries providing free admission to reclaim VAT. Currently over 140 museums across the UK benefit from this tax relief.The commitment to free entry to the permanent collections at DCMS-sponsored museums has had a dramatic effect on the total number of visitors. We continue to monitor audience engagement with museums through the Participation Survey (formerly ‘Taking Part’) and Museum Development UK’s Annual Museum Survey which surveys the non-national accredited museums. The 2020 survey found that 54.4% of accredited museums in England charge for admissions and 45.6% are free to enter. The survey tells us there were 17,164 median adult visitors to free-entry museums compared with 13,000 to those that charge or had charged for exhibitions.The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background or geographic location, can experience and enjoy the brilliant collections and benefits that our national and regional museums bring. Free entry is just one aspect of this, and we continue to support a wide range of projects and initiatives aimed at improving access to arts and culture through our arm’s-length bodies such as Arts Council England.

Arts: Curriculum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the role the arts in the school curriculum.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government is committed to ensuring all children and young people have a broad and balanced curriculum, of which creative education is a key part. DCMS Ministers have regular meetings and discussions with their ministerial colleagues from across Government on a range of issues, including with the Secretary of State for Education to discuss arts and education.Details of Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website.

COP26

Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action

Drew Hendry: To ask the President of COP26, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of the UK becoming a signatory to UNICEF's Intergovernmental Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action.

Alok Sharma: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQ 73892 on 22 November 2021.

Carbon Emissions: Taxation

Alan Brown: To ask the President of COP26, what steps he taking to reach an international agreement on carbon pricing.

Alok Sharma: At COP26, the UK Presidency secured an agreement on the rules, guidance and procedures to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which gives guidance on how countries may choose to cooperate and use carbon markets to help achieve their climate objectives. Other carbon pricing mechanisms, such as carbon taxes, or carbon border adjustment mechanisms were not an agenda item at COP26.This year the UK launched its own emissions trading scheme (ETS) and will be exploring opportunities for international cooperation. This could include the possibility of linking the UK ETS to similar systems in other countries.

Climate Change: Sustainable Development

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the President of COP26, what assessment he has made of grassroots sustainability initiatives in towns, cities, and communities as a way of empowering individuals to tackle climate change.

Alok Sharma: All those who make and shape our economies and societies have a vital role to play in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. At COP26, the voice of youth and civil society was loud and clear. We saw nearly 8,000 non-state actors committed to halving global emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 at the latest through the UN-backed global campaign Race to Zero – the largest ever such coalition.The Glasgow Climate Pact emphasises the importance of collaboration across all parts of society to deliver effective climate action. And we were pleased that Parties were able to agree the 10-year Glasgow Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment, which will enhance youth engagement, climate education and public participation in climate action in the years ahead, and the new 3-year work programme on local communities and Indigenous Peoples, alongside other important steps.

UN Climate Conference 2021

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the President of COP26, what steps he is taking to implement the Glasgow Agreement at a grassroots level.

Alok Sharma: The historic Glasgow Climate Pact acknowledges the vital role that indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society play in driving climate action, and emphasises the importance of collaboration across all parts of society to deliver effective climate action.We will use our Presidency year to ensure that the commitments from COP26 are delivered and that we build on our progress in Glasgow, including through the 10-year Glasgow Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment, and the new 3-year work programme on local communities and Indigenous Peoples. COP26 advisory groups will continue to lend their voices to this endeavour, offering their expertise, insights, and experiences.

UN Climate Conference 2021

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the President of COP26, how many discussions he has had with foreign delegations since the closing of the COP26 summit to encourage signatories to implement the Glasgow Climate Pact in full.

Alok Sharma: Since the COP26 summit, I have written to over 40 governments and have spoken to or met ministers from 19 countries, and continue to meet others. In these conversations, I have been thanking countries for their role in securing the Glasgow Climate Pact and encouraging them to implement its commitments as well as discussing how we work together to encourage all countries to deliver on the commitments made.